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Here are a couple of things I know about education.\xa0

The first is that we aren't that good at it and our results, whether PISA scores, or kids leaving school without proper qualifications, or even turning up in the first place, speak loud and clear on this.\xa0

The second is that although the unions argue more money is the answer, it is, and it isn't.\xa0

In New South Wales at the moment, they are handing out $30,000 dollar bonuses for teachers in tricky-to-fill subjects. They still aren't filling them.\xa0

I think teachers should earn more, in some cases a lot more. But not just for the sake of it. In a way, they are two different subjects. Does paying a teacher more make a kid show up more? No.\xa0

And that's where charter schools fit in.\xa0

We had a crack at them a while back and, generally, they seemed to make a difference. But Labour got picked by New Zealand First in 2017 and ideology ruled the day and that was that.\xa0

Ideology is one of the greatest problems of all. It should not rule education.\xa0

The same way we need a long-term pipeline for major infrastructure that transcends governments, we need the same for education.\xa0

But when charter schools are raised the unions don\u2019t like them because charter schools aren't necessarily pro-union. We also have Cabinet papers released Friday that suggest funding might be an issue, depending on the size of the school. In other words, each pupil is allocated a base level of money and that funding travels with the student.\xa0

The long-argued point by critics is charter schools get better funded.\xa0

What charter schools do is offer choice, and choice in education, as in life, is no bad thing.\xa0

The idea that a broad-based, state-funded mass model that results, stats and observations show without a shadow of a doubt doesn\u2019t work, is somehow the only way to do things is short sighted to say the least.\xa0

For many of us it worked fine. We went to the local, hated a lot of it, put up with the rest, the odd one had fun and we passed our exams and moved on.\xa0

But life isn't like that anymore. We know we are failing, it's indisputable. So instead of embracing change or something new, we want to spend more time bitching over ideology.\xa0

If you hate the charter school idea, show me the one you love. Finding a paper, or a critic, or a unionist isn't hard.\xa0

Getting kids well educated apparently is.\xa0

So how about we change it up a bit?\xa0

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