Hope for state education’s “forgotten learners”

<div class&equals;"story-top">&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education&lpar;NZCGE&rpar; says it is thrilled to hear that gifted education features in the coalition agreement between the Labour Party and New Zealand First&period;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;It’s fantastic to see some recognition coming the way of this group of diverse learners&period; Gifted Education has struggled to get a look in for the past nine years&comma; with Ministry of Education direct funding in this area dwindling to zero&comma;” says CEO Deborah Walker&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">NZCGE is a community-based charitable organisation that helps develop and challenge academically and creatively gifted children and delivers gifted education services for children&period; Operating nationwide&comma; close to 1&comma;000 children access programmes each week using NZCGE’s specially developed curriculum for gifted children&period; The organisation has been operating for 20 years under different names and predominantly supports state school children through its day-a-week programme&period; Since 2010&comma; they have received no government funding which has made it difficult to make ends meet and meant a huge reliance on parental fees&period; This in turn has reduced the accessibility of special programming for gifted children from poorer communities&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Our gifted children learn&comma; think and feel differently and need appropriate <a class&equals;"wpil&lowbar;keyword&lowbar;link" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;schoolnews&period;co&period;nz&sol;2015&sol;10&sol;developing-opportunities-at-school-with-a-view&sol;" title&equals;"opportunities" data-wpil-keyword-link&equals;"linked" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">opportunities<&sol;a> to engage in learning&comma; to progress in understanding and skill&comma; and to achieve at a level commensurate to their ability&comma;” says Ms Walker&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;They have become a marginalised cohort in our system&comma; a group of children effectively told to go away and succeed by themselves&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;NZCGE has always been concerned about the lack of recognition&comma; resourcing and support for gifted and talented children&period; This announcement gives us some hope the current situation for gifted children will improve&period; However&comma; as optimistic as we are&comma; we are also wait cautiously to see what ’restore funding’ actually means&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;