Ministry of Education unveils new programme aimed to identify and support gifted children

There are hopes a new approach to gifted education will help students reach their full potential. 

The Ministry of Education's rolling out a new national programme from January, aiming to better support their curriculum and social-emotional needs. 

A review of past support found approaches were inconsistent across the country. 

Gifted Education Researcher at Massey University, Professor Tracy Riley told Mike Hosking they're not yet sure what the ministry is planning on doing under the programme, but generally they try to enrich the curriculum and match it to where the kids are at. 

She says a lot of gifted kids spend a lot of time waiting – waiting for others to catch up, waiting for the next thing to happen. 

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