New Zealand to Mandate ‘3 Rs’ Daily in Schools From Term One

All New Zealand primary and intermediate (Year 0 to 8) students are to be taught an average of an hour each of reading, writing, and maths from term one next year as part of the government’s “back to basics” approach to education. Mobile phones will also be banned from the classroom starting in term two, though it is expected most schools will implement the measure as soon as they reopen. Education Minister Erica Stanford said it was about “removing distractions and teaching the basics brilliantly,” and while many schools were already doing well in numeracy and literacy, this change was “about having time dedicated to teaching reading, writing, and maths in a purposeful and deliberate way consistently across New Zealand.”...