School Principals from across the country gathered in Wellington on Friday to discuss the latest government policy, ‘Investing for Educational Success’. They recommended that continued participation by principals in this initiative is contingent upon some key conditions.

 ‘Our principal representatives from the regions had a vigorous and informed discussion on the policy,’ said Philip Harding, president of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF). 

‘Schools are being driven to distraction by the latest Novopay issue to hit schools,’ says Philip Harding, President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF).

‘Reconciling the stated payroll position against school records has become the latest nightmare for schools and yet again the increased workload is intolerable,’ said Harding. 

Principals across the country have become increasingly concerned about the direction and implementation of the Investing in Educational Success proposition which was announced by the Prime Minister in January, and are now asking in increasing numbers why the Principals’ Federation remains engaged with the initiative.

Acting President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF), Denise Torrey, has today expressed deep concerns that the $359m Government plan for enhancing school leadership is not based on reliable evidence and the money could end up being wasted in a failed experiment.

The Prime Minister announced a plan to pour $359m over four years into a scheme to pay some principals and teachers more so that other principals and teachers can share their expertise.

President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF), Philip Harding, has today expressed the frustration of the school sector by laying an official complaint with the Ministry of Education for the continuing underperformance of the Novopay payroll system.

‘Either Talent2, the provider company, is deliberately misleading the Ministry by not reporting accurate levels of problems or the Ministry itself is covering up the real extent of the issues that schools continue to have with Novopay every day,’ he said.

School principals report that the Novopay payroll system that caused so much chaos when it was first introduced is still struggling to deliver accuracy, and judging by their feedback, principals are still hugely frustrated at the inadequacies of a system that continues to suck their patience dry.