Government Failure To Manage Teacher Supply Shortchanges Young People Massively - PPTA

The ad hoc response to the chronic teacher shortage, announced by the Minister of Education in an email to principals last Friday, means that thousands of young people will not be taught by trained and qualified subject specialist teachers, say Chris Abercrombie, PPTA Te Wehengarua president.

The Minister has announced new measures to provide ‘limited authorities to teach’ to encourage unqualified teachers and teachers who no longer hold registration to work as relief teachers in schools.

“She is essentially looking to flood classrooms with unregistered relievers as the teaching shortage bites.

“Very few of these relievers will be across the new requirements for the implementation of level 1 NCEA, or the new English and Maths curriculum or structured literacy delivery. Some teachers without practising certificates won’t have taught for well over three years.

“Principals are already reporting that the constant use of relievers impacts on students’ enjoyment of school, which then impacts on attendance. Having more unqualified and uncertificated people in front of them is not going to help with this. Secondary students need specialist teachers who are grounded in their subject and can challenge and stretch students’ learning and knowledge.”

Chris Abercrombie says the Minister’s response is evidence of a systemic failure to recognise and value teaching, and ensure that teachers are retained and new teachers are attracted to the profession.

“Rather than responding to this crisis with a set of ad hoc measures, the Government needs to urgently create a workforce strategy for the teaching workforce.”

Chris Abercrombie says the Government needs to support the teaching profession with adequate resourcing of new NCEA requirements, better wrap around services for students who need them, and improved pay and working conditions for teachers.

“The cold, hard fact of the matter is that there are thousands of highly skilled and experienced former teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand today who would come back to school next week if the salary and conditions were attractive.

“Every young person has a right to a trained and registered specialist teacher in every subject. Denying them that right, because of a failure to ensure a consistent supply of New Zealand trained and qualified secondary teachers, undermines the life choices of our young people and the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.”

He said the Minister also needed to seriously consider the double standard of pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into charter schools - which Treasury advised against - while severely under-funding the public education system, where the vast majority of students and teachers are learning and working.

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