Hon. Steve Chadwick  |  Thursday, June 25, 2009 15:10

Labour spokesperson for arts, culture and heritage Steve Chadwick says cutting the ‘Artists in Schools’ funding in the budget is yet another example of the lack of commitment to the arts by this Government.

“The small investment of $8000 for each ten week programme yielded great results for schools who have taken up the innovation over the last two years as part of the arts curriculum”, Ms Chadwick said.

“Schools such as Dargaville High rave about the impact the programme has had.

“Visual and creative intelligence is important as is numeracy and literacy. Visually creative courses often engage children who may find other forms of learning difficult or who thrive from the exposure and interaction with creating art.

“This is another short-sighted, quick-fix action from this Government that lacks innovative solutions to long-term problems about keeping our children excited about learning,” Steve Chadwick said.