Will's Word: Kāhui Ako cash burn, $118m annually for what, exactly?

Let's turn our attention to a scheme that is just that, a scheme. The Kāhui Ako Scheme launched in 2014 sounded like a good idea.

It was to get schools to work together, share resources, and improve teaching - that sounds cool, I'd argue though, it's been a total flop.

Over 2000 schools are involved and somehow it's costing us a ridiculous $118 million a year, for arguably little to no return. So what do we get for all that cash, you might ask?

Teachers and principals get paid extra to attend a never-ending parade of meetings, shared lesson plans, and... that's it.

I'd argue there's no real impact on student achievement, just a whole lot of grip and grinning, people shaking hands, yapping away in meeting rooms.

Here's the kicker, apparently, some teachers and principals are not that jazzed about the idea of axing the programme.

Why? Well, sorry to sound harsh, but it's perhaps because they're about to lose cushy bonuses for doing things that they should be doing anyway.

The government apparently has a much better idea, instead of funnelling millions into this bureaucratic mess, they want to redirect that money into something that will actually help, which is supporting children with disabilities who desperately need it. I back it.

That's where our priorities should lie. So, to the teachers and principals who are attached to their bonuses, I really hope you don't pursue legal action just to keep cashing in a failed programme.

Listen to Will’s Word on Facebook below.

Put the kids first. Let's stop wasting money on a scheme that's arguably done more for teachers' pay cheques than actual learning outcomes.

And no, I'm not arguing that teachers don't deserve this, they absolutely do, but not through schemes like this that have little return.

End it - long overdue. Will’s Word.