Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)
“The report released today shows clearly we are facing significant shortages of secondary teachers around the motu.
“The Government’s attempts to address the shortage by importing teachers from overseas, employing unqualified staff and lowering the re-entry requirements for teachers who have been out of the profession for a while are a bandaid on the significant need in schools.
“We need improvements in relative pay rates and working conditions and the removal of barriers into teaching – such as paid training.”
“Also, the numbers still only tell part of the story as the specialist nature of secondary teaching means that you could have numbers balanced yet still be short of hundreds of the needed teachers in practice. And if you want schools to have a choice of appointment you actually need a surplus of teachers in each region.”
“Even on the most optimistic projection for secondary teachers, schools could still be struggling to fill subject vacancies and reducing curriculum options or having teachers take subject classes they are not specialists in, e.g. specialist history teachers taking physics classes.”
Chris Abercrombie said the report did not take into account relief teacher supply. “Relief teachers are a big part of the system and shortages there are a major pressure currently.
“This report acknowledges what we are hearing from principals around the motu – that it is becoming increasingly difficulty to fill vacancies in a wide range of subject areas, and in a wide range of schools.
“The secondary teacher shortage is worsening and if this Government is serious about growing Aotearoa New Zealand, it needs to start with the basics and ensure every secondary school student has a trained and qualified specialist teacher in every subject.”
Last modified on Friday, 21 February 2025 09:43