NZAIMS Position On Staffing Cuts

31 May 2012
New Zealand Association of Intermediate and Middle Schooling - Media Release

Press Release

The NZAIMS annual meeting endorsed the executive to take the following actions in reaction to the staffing cuts and loss of learning opportunities for children as announced by the government in the “zero budget” of 2012

NZAIMS will undertake the following:-

• Request all member schools to review current relationships with Ministry of Education initiatives, for example, data collection at the Y7 & Y8 level being undertaken by Otago University for the Ministry of Education (NEMP), and not proceed. The Ministry of Education has broken the relationship it had with Intermediate and Middle Schools through savagely attacking staffing levels. Until a working relationship is restored, NZAIMS requests member schools take this action.

• NZAIMS will join with all other sector organisations and work on a coordinated and combined strategy to combat the learning opportunities being taken away from children and young people.

• NZAIMS will be demanding a “moratorium” be put in place on the announced staffing cuts, at all levels of schooling and that the Ministry of Education / government work with all groups to examine teaching and learning needs in New Zealand schools. It is time to look at our whole education system and not “tinker” with it as is evidenced by the staffing or ratios introduced through the budget.

NZAIMS still holds to its original demands,

• Zero cuts to front line teaching staff
• Our wish to work with the Ministry of Education not in a working party to implement cuts but in a working party to focus upon Intermediate and Middle Years schooling.

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