School Leaders: Review of the New Zealand Teachers Council

School Leaders’ Statement On the Review of the New Zealand Teachers Council

Leaders of major schooling organisationsi in New Zealand are welcoming the Government’s decision to consult with teachers on the outcomes of a review of the Teachers Council.

The leaders of NZEI Te Riu Roa, the PPTA, the NZ Principals Federation, the NZ Area Schools Association, the Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools, the Normal Schools Association and the NZ Catholic Education Office say the final outcomes of the review must preserve and enhance the quality of teachers, because this is the fundamental reason New Zealand’s education system is successful by global standards.

They says every child has the right to a qualified and registered teacher as a minimum requirement to assure public and students that their teacher is competent, qualified, undergoes professional development regularly and is committed to the ethics of the profession.

The leaders say they support the Teachers Council becoming a truly independent statutory body with a majority of practicing teachers on it.

They say the Teachers Council should be run “by teachers, for teachers” and oppose greater government involvement in the Council or any proposal to have the majority of Council members selected by political appointment.

The group believe the key roles of the Teachers Council are to define and promote standards for the profession, ensure rigorous standards for entry into the profession, to monitor the quality of initial teacher education and to hold teachers accountable when they fail to meet high standards, to ensure the interests of children and the public are preserved.

ENDS

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