Let's Spin Chris.

NZ kids among smartest ... but reading a concern. Yes and also with their teachers, and indeed with their minister... and about 15 per cent of Kiwi kids scored at level one or below.

... and 11,000 maori truants a week, total 43000 truants a week and 20% of maori kids leave school before the age of fifteen ... Oh.

Oh, Chris, so most of our failures had already left the education system.

"The new curriculum focuses on literacy and numeracy as key areas where we need our young people to achieve and we must continue that focus," Mr Carter said.

Aha ... but the new curriculum also focusses on 'reframing failure as success.'

But then, appearances are so important, Chris.

But really Chris, would you be able to tell?

Appears you may just have been one of the products of that 'context reading' experiment that proved such an impediment to so many New Zealanders being able to 'acquire that mandated education,' those 'victims' that are now educating our youngsters today... perpetuating this 'cycle of abuse.'

It took generations to create and will take the same to remediate ... so let's not pretend that our 'information economy ' is just round the corner. It is passed time the charades should cease ... and the crass alternatives on offer, the ability to pass NZCEA by text messaging language, just simply 'don't cut the mustard.'

All teachers should reach a criterion perfomance before being 'set loose' on classrooms, all teachers should be registered ... that a further three year moratorium has been granted on registration is absurd - this largely affects Kura, those that simply require the best teachers to succeed ... to pretend this is 'maori for maori' service is offensive.

But perhaps we are seeing the initiative being taken by universities, perhaps they are 'fed up' with the devaluation of degrees and again placing more importance on the attainment of a criterion level of performance prior to admission ... finally.