Bonding Flow On Effects Need To Be Considered

Flow On Effects Of Voluntary Bonding Need To Be Considered

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says a voluntary bonding scheme for teachers is good in theory, but the government needs to take a closer look at some of the practical flow on effects.

The government has announced a teacher bonding scheme to help ease the teacher shortage and reduce the student loan burden for new teachers. It targets new teachers who want to spend at least three years in a decile one, or severely isolated school.

NZEI says there is no doubt the bonding payment will provide a recruitment and retention incentive for beginning teachers, and help fill positions in hard to staff areas. However the most critical area of shortage is with experienced teachers.

NZEI President Frances Nelson says the bonding initiative simply increases the pool of new teaching staff and there is no incentive for those with experience and established skills.

“The reality is that the recruitment pool for decile one schools is already largely made up of beginning teachers, and what they need is to recruit and retain more experienced teachers to balance their staffing profiles.”

Ms Nelson also says beginning teachers need a consistent mentoring and support programme, and those issues need to be carefully thought through, particularly for those going to small or severely isolated schools.

“There are many downstream issues for schools and the teaching profession which fall out of this bonding scheme. That the government chose to simply brief the sector on the initiative rather than fully consult with it, is disappointing,” she says.

ENDS

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