Off the back of the PISA results last week into maths, science, and reading, comes the OECD's disciplinary climate index.

It won't surprise you to learn we aren't doing very well in that either.

There are just four countries in the OECD where students do not report a favourable disciplinary climate. They are Finland, Canada, Australia, and —you guessed it— us. What an indictment.

The Australian Government acted immediately and threw $3.5 million at schools to boost resources. Erica Stanford on the programme last week talked of the cellphone problem and the distractions raised in the PISA report.

Isn't it funny to think that when the National Party announced a phone ban during the election campaign a lot of people scoffed. Labour claimed there already was one, in the sense schools could do it if they wanted. A lot of people asked how that works. What if there is an emergency? What if I need to ring Mum?

Yet, a few short months later here we are, an embarrassment on an international scale, at the bottom of an increasing number of metrics.

Distraction and discipline, or lack of it, are clearly major issues and yet we have allowed the problem to not just present itself, but to fester.

I am reminded of Jan Tinetti earlier this year madly defending absentee numbers by suggesting school post-Covid was hard, and teachers had it tough, and numbers were slowly getting better, so there wasn’t anything to worry about.

What the reports show us was that although everyone went through Covid, some actually got on with it and some didn't.

In some respects, the lack of discipline in school is a reflection of the top-down lack of discipline we have seen these past six years from a Labour Government who had no relationship at all with discipline, either fiscally or morally.

They were a Government for the lowest common denominator, where average was more than adequate and there wasn’t a crime that couldn't be excused in some way, shape, or form.

You have to feel sorry for the teachers. It must be a war zone at times, between the distractions, the lack of discipline and, as a result, the lack of results.

What a mountain it is to climb.

First job though is to accept the state we are in, because surely these reports that encompass the entire OECD spell it out pretty clearly.

Off the back of the PISA results last week into maths, science, and reading, comes the OECD's disciplinary climate index. 
It won't surprise you to learn we aren't doing very well in that either. 
There are just four countries in the OECD where students do not report a favourable disciplinary climate. They are Finland, Canada, Australia, and —you guessed it— us. What an indictment. 
The Australian Government acted immediately and threw $3.5 million at schools to boost resources. Erica Stanford on the programme last week talked of the cellphone problem and the distractions raised in the PISA report. 
Isn't it funny to think that when the National Party announced a phone ban during the election campaign a lot of people scoffed. Labour claimed there already was one, in the sense schools could do it if they wanted. A lot of people asked how that works. What if there is an emergency? What if I need to ring Mum? 
Yet, a few short months later here we are, an embarrassment on an international scale, at the bottom of an increasing number of metrics. 
Distraction and discipline, or lack of it, are clearly major issues and yet we have allowed the problem to not just present itself, but to fester. 
I am reminded of Jan Tinetti earlier this year madly defending absentee numbers by suggesting school post-Covid was hard, and teachers had it tough, and numbers were slowly getting better, so there wasn’t anything to worry about. 
What the reports show us was that although everyone went through Covid, some actually got on with it and some didn't. 
In some respects, the lack of discipline in school is a reflection of the top-down lack of discipline we have seen these past six years from a Labour Government who had no relationship at all with discipline, either fiscally or morally. 
They were a Government for the lowest common denominator, where average was more than adequate and there wasn’t a crime that couldn't be excused in some way, shape, or form. 
You have to feel sorry for the teachers. It must be a war zone at times, between the distractions, the lack of discipline and, as a result, the lack of results. 
What a mountain it is to climb. 
First job though is to accept the state we are in, because surely these reports that encompass the entire OECD spell it out pretty clearly.

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The Mike Hosking Breakfast always cuts through and delivers the best daily on Newstalk ZB.

Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show. Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda. The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion, delivers the best talent, and always leaves you wanting more. The Mike Hosking Breakfast always cuts through and delivers the best daily on Newstalk ZB.

Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show.Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda.The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion,...