Visit New Zealand

- By Diana Tijoriwalla

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• About New Zealand
• Primary Schools
• Rotorua, the Volcanic City
• Kiwi Speak
• White Island Volcano
• National Bird
• Fruits & Vegetables
• The Sky Tower
• Driving in New Zealand
• Flora & Fauna
• Tranz Metro
• Underwater Aquarium
• The Waitomo Caves
• Traffic Regulations

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Primary Schools

Hello Kids,
It is great to be a student in New Zealand. Let me tell you about the primary schools in New Zealand and about the cool and leisurely manner in which students here study.
The Library: The Library occupies a very important place in the educational system. It is so beautifully decorated that kids feel like going there and reading books. The walls of the library are decorated beautifully too. Normally the class teacher takes the kids to the library and reads out books to them. The children are shown the titles of the books, and then given a brief description about the author of the book chosen. In this way they are helped to cultivate the habit of reading books.


Lend a book: The children are allowed to take home one library book at a time. But before giving the books, the teacher herself reads the books so that she knows whether the children will be able to read them. Grammar, pronunciation and other related language skills are imparted to kids through the books they read. So a child learns the language without actually being taught - it is amazing how a kid of 5 knows where to use an apostrophe, for instance.
Homework: Homework is something every child enjoys. It’s in the form of simple worksheets. All the worksheets are corrected by the teacher, who makes it a point to make a good remark in every child’s work, even though there may be mistakes. A mistake is treated as a part of the learning process and is mostly overlooked. Children like appreciation and so certificates are given to encourage them. Books are given as a token of appreciation.
And last but very interesting is that kids here don’t need to carry bags to school.

The School

All schools have colourfully decorated classrooms. There are charts on the walls. Children’s works are displayed everywhere. A lot of importance is given to sports and extra-curricular activities such as dramas. All schools have big playgrounds with slides and several other games.
Study is not a burden, but an enjoyable activity for children in New Zealand. The teacher gives individual attention to every child as each kid is considered unique and are allowed to grow at his/her own pace.

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