April 11, 2025

Squeeze on arts education puts generation at risk

Dr Kerryn Palmer

April 10, 2025Share

The KaRs, an educational musical group that encourages children to sing and dance, released their music video ‘64’ in 2023. The video stars are the pupils from Miss Bradley’s class (Room 19), at Palmerston North’s College Street Normal School. (File photo)Warwick Smith / Manawatū Standard

Dr Kerryn Palmer is an arts educator, freelance theatre director, producer and arts advocate.

OPINION: In 2024 the Government declared that arts in education are “nice to haves”. They did so while announcing new mandates of structured literacy and numeracy and delaying (again) a refresh of the arts curriculum. This was followed by further cuts to school arts programmes and the closure of several leading performing arts companies that create work for and with young people. In 2025 performing arts companies are reporting a drop in engagement with schools because they are squeezed for time as they grapple with the changes in the curriculum. [More]

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