A school principal in Whangarei says the Ministry of Education is appointing unqualified people as advisers to schools in Whangarei, to enforce and back national standards.
Mr Newman, who is also the Labour candidate for Whangarei, says the Northland advisers include a former dental nurse and a former police officer.
He says his school, which has a 75% Maori roll, has lost truancy resources with the advent of national standards and gained an adviser who lacks the professional expertise to be of real use.
The ministry says school advisers need a wide range of skills and it cannot comment on individual employment matters.
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The Secondary Principals Association says appointees to the new role must have enough experience to be credible.
It says the role requires at least five or six years' teaching experience including time in a middle management role in a school.
The ministry says it has hired people with a wide range of skills.