'Common sense has prevailed': Agriculture will remain a standalone subject at high schools

It was out, then in, then out again. Now finally Agriculture looks set to remain a standalone subject at high school.

In September last year, the government reversed its decision not to include Agriculture as a secondary school subject following heavy criticism.

This week Education Minister Erica Stanford reversed a further decision to roll Year 11 Agriculture into general Sciences, which had prompted further ire from industry and schools, along with politicians from Act, New Zealand First and Labour.

Nathan Stewart, the principal of Feilding High school, where half the students are studying agriculture at Year 11, was among those who pushed for it to be reinstated as a standalone subject.

"In an era where science and technology are our future, science is a big enough subject as it is without trying to merge agriculture into it. And vice versa, agriculture itself is a massive subject," he said earlier.

Stanford said it was the Ministry of Education's advice that it could be part of the general science curriculum at year 11.

However, she said once the curriculum was released it became clear that it was not practical to have horticulture and agriculture science be part of another subject and that it needed to be a standalone, so subject, so that it could flow into year 12 and 13.

"I have worked with and listened to organisations like Federated Farmers, and the principal of Fielding High School have been very clear in their advice to have it as a standalone subject," she said.

Rex Newman, president of the Agriculture and Horticulture Teachers Association, said he was happy with the result but it should never have been in question.

The Napier-based ag teacher said it was strange to have seen so much back and forth on the matter.

"Last September [...] when we had to campaign basically our industry to make noise to get them reverse the decision to remove it completely from the curriculum, we thought then this was done.

"It's a vital link that Year 11 course. It's where a lot of the sciences, and a lot of the concepts are taught so we can get push into the senior subjects getting into more management and then global agriculture and horticulture, so it just baffled us that it was going to be removed."

Newman said it was twice now that teachers have had to campaign against the subject being dropped and was looking for reassurances.

"We're glad that common sense has prevailed [...] and hopefully this will put to bed any issues that we've got around Agriculture and Horticulture."

Federated Farmers also welcomed the decision, with Education spokesperson Greg Anderson saying teaching the subject at Year 11 was critically important as it was when students beging choosing subjects that shape their future career pathways.

"It plays such an important role in opening students' eyes to the huge opportunities that exist in our primary sector on farms, in labs, or in supporting industries."

He said removing Agricultural and Horticultural science for Year 11 would have been a "significant misstep".

"For students interested in focusing on agriculture and horticulture content, it would have got lost among all the other topics if it had been combined into general science.

"It takes a lot of guts to admit you've got something wrong, but what really matters is how you go about putting it right."

The Ministry of Education will work with subject matter experts to develop the new Year 11 subject, alongside teaching and assessment resources and implementation support for schools and teachers.

Schools will have the flexibility to decide whether to offer the subject, allowing them to respond to the needs and interests of their students and communities.

Public consultation on the new Year 11 subject is expected to begin in the coming weeks.