Changes to the maths curriculum push arts and music aside w /The University of Auckland's Peter O'Connor: 19 August, 2024

The government recently announced that they’ll be moving forward with changes to maths teaching in schools a year earlier than intended. 

Changes revolve around implementing stricter structure to the way maths is taught, and introducing more standardised maths assessments for children in years 0-8. 

The Prime Minister has said that this may mean deferring the arts and music curriculum to allow for these changes. 

In a Newsroom article, Professor in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, Peter O'Connor says that pushing the arts curriculum to the side would be detrimental for students. 

Producer Evie spoke to O’Connor about why arts and music is so important for students, as well as having the ability to lift their maths and literacy results.