The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says education should not be used as a cash cow and the government would be mad to accept Treasury's latest advice.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says education should not be used as a cash cow and the government would be mad to accept Treasury's latest advice.

In its briefing to the incoming government Treasury has suggested radical reform to free up money, including increasing class sizes and student-teacher ratios and closing down schools.

"This type of reform would be a huge step backwards for our education system and I don't think schools, parents or communities would be willing to accept it.  It is ill-advised advice," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

"Parents and schools fought long and hard to lower class sizes and student ratios in recent years particularly in the junior classes, and they would not want to see all that good work undone."

"It's disappointing to hear the Finance Minister say class size doesn't matter when parents and teachers, who see what happens in classrooms everyday, know that children get more out of teaching and learning when they are in smaller groups and can get more one-on-one attention".

"Having bigger classes would also do nothing to improve teacher quality," he says.

Closing down schools would hit communities hard, particularly if there was no educational benefit in doing so.

"Closing a school down impacts heavily on students and families and shouldn't affect a child's right to attend their local school.  Treasury's proposal is purely a money-making scheme for a wholesale sell-off of valuable school property and land which would come at the expense of local communities," Mr Leckie says.

"Surely education should not be a cash-cow for the government.  If Treasury really wanted to free up money in education and improve teacher quality it would reinstate the teacher professional development that the government has taken away and stop wasting tens of millions of dollars on National Standards".

NZEI says worryingly the Ministry of Education's briefing to the new Minister also signals school closures as well as the erosion of school board control over property.
<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the government is stacking the charter school deck while keeping the public in the dark about how charter schools will work in New Zealand and how they will actually make a difference to student achievement.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the government is stacking the charter school deck while keeping the public in the dark about how charter schools will work in New Zealand and how they will actually make a difference to student achievement.

The Associate Education Minister and sole ACT MP John Banks has said the first charter school will be up and running in south Auckland by the end of the first school term and he has appointed  former ACT Party President Catherine Isaacs to oversee the charter school implementation group.

"Once again we are seeing a total lack of transparency in this whole process and an agenda driven by politics and business rather than education and children," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

"Firstly the government and ACT completely blindsided the public by announcing charter schools as part of their coalition deal, and now it is moving to unfairly stack the deck of the committee set up to establish them."

"The charter school agenda was clearly more advanced than the government cares to admit," he says.

Despite the speed at which the government is moving on charter schools, the public and communities where these schools will be established, have seen absolutely no details on how they will be set up and run.

"We are not being told why and how these schools will make a difference to underachieving kids.  Exactly what will a charter school do that is different and how does giving taxpayer money to business to run a school improve student achievement?  These are all questions the government is failing to give New Zealander the answers to," says Mr Leckie.

New Zealand students and schools do better than those in any of the countries where charter schools have been established.  The balance of overseas experience shows that charter schools do nothing to raise educational achievement and can take money away from existing schools and undermine communities.

NZEI believes the children who are missing out on educational success the most are facing the combined hurdles of poor health, bad housing, troubled families and poverty.  These aren't problems schools can fix on their own, and they certainly aren't problems that charter schools can fix.  

NZEI continues to call for any move to establish charter schools to go through a parliamentary select committee process so the public and educators can make submissions and see the issues fairly debated.
<< less

With the new school year about to begin, the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is repeating its call for the government to move to protect centralised 'National Standards' information from being drawn up into damaging league tables.
more >>

With the new school year about to begin, the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is repeating its call for the government to move to protect centralised 'National Standards' information from being drawn up into damaging league tables.

All schools must submit their student achievement data based on 'National Standards' to the Education Ministry by 31 May.

NZEI says schools are deeply concerned that the information will be made public and aggregated into crude league tables that will unfairly label students, schools and their communities.

"It’s a top-of-mind issue and worry for principals, teachers and school as we go into the 2012 school year," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

"They know that 'National Standards' data is inconsistent and that each school is interpreting the Standards differently.  Aggregating that data into national or local league tables that give the impression of ranking school effectiveness would be unfair".

"The public should not be duped into thinking the effectiveness of schools can be judged on such inconsistent and flawed assessment which cannot properly reflect a student's learning or progress".

"Any National Standards-based league table will simply reflect school decile and serve to name and shame some of the very schools which are working the hardest to raise student achievement," Mr Leckie says.

NZEI believes that school and teacher accountability is essential and parents have a right to know that their children are engaged in high quality, effective teaching and learning programmes.  

However Mr Leckie says the danger is 'National Standards' will increasingly become a blunt driver of the government's accountability agenda.

"That puts our education system at the mercy of junk information.  It will also create unhealthy competition between schools, the likely massaging of student achievement information and a teaching to the test approach.  Is this really what we want for our world-leading education system and our children?"

NZEI says schools want an assurance that centralised 'National Standards' information will be protected, otherwise the government will find that come 31 May, schools will be reluctant to hand their student achievement data over.

<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says contrary to claims by the Education Minister, principals in south Auckland have no appetite for charter schools.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says contrary to claims by the Education Minister, principals in south Auckland have no appetite for charter schools.

Hekia Parata has said that principals and parents are queuing up for the first charter school, and that there is very high demand.

NZEI has spoken to 87 principals in south Auckland.  The vast majority have said they are either concerned or very concerned about the prospect of charter schools, while only four said they could see some benefit.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says they are concerned on a number of fronts.

"Firstly they are suspicious about the government's privatisation agenda for education, secondly they believe charter schools are unmandated coalition policy, and thirdly they feel that low decile communities are being unfairly targeted by government claims that charter schools are needed in areas where underachievement is entrenched."

"Some of these schools work harder than any others in the country to raise student achievement and there is no recognition of the effective programmes they already have in place. The problems of underachievement are complex and principals in south Auckland know that charter schools will do nothing to fix them".

Mr Leckie says it's important to remember that the people of south Auckland did not vote for charter schools and have not been asked whether they want to hand over their children's education to private business where there is limited accountability.

NZEI says there is clearly a disconnect between what the Minister is saying and what people and educators in south Auckland are feeling.

"Perhaps the Minister should release some more details about exactly what these schools will look like and talk to those communities which will be affected by what represents a major shift change to the foundations of our public education system," says Mr Leckie.

<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is urging the government to come clean about its agenda for education and any plans it may have to change the way school principals are hired.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is urging the government to come clean about its agenda for education and any plans it may have to change the way school principals are hired.

Media reports suggest that the government is planning to make the Ministry of Education responsible for the appointment of principals rather than boards, and also ban them from speaking out against government policy.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says the suggestions are alarming and need to be honestly confirmed or denied.

"There have been a lot of rumours and speculation about the issue and principals and schools are understandably very anxious.  Removing the ability of schools and their communities to hire their own principal strikes at the heart of Tomorrow's Schools and you have to wonder how much further the government is willing to go".

"There's also the question of motive," says Mr Leckie.

"Handing over the employment of principals directly to the Ministry and attempting to gag them is a likely response to principals' widespread criticism of National Standards".

NZEI says like charter schools, the government seems like its readying to push through more unmandated educational change and policy.

"Changing the way principals are hired and managed would represent a major shift to our quality education system.  It would be completely wrong and would be met with opposition from principals, schools and communities.  It would also get the new Education Minister off to a very bad start with the sector as a whole," says Mr Leckie.

"The government needs to front up and be honest about what's on its agenda for education and put an end to the climate of suspicion and mistrust that it is fostering".
<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is hoping there will be opportunities to forge a strong and constructive working relationship with the new Education Minister.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is hoping there will be opportunities to forge a strong and constructive working relationship with the new Education Minister.

In the new cabinet line-up Hekia Parata takes over the education portfolio from Anne Tolley.

NZEI which represents more than 50,000 teachers, principals and education workers acknowledges that the past three years have been challenging.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says "we have seen a lot of policy and measures introduced such as National Standards and cuts to early childhood funding, which have definitely put a strain on the relationship between educational professionals and the government".

"We have a great education system which we want to see made into a truly excellent one.  To do that there must be a healthy and respectful relationship between the education sector and government".

NZEI believes there are many challenges ahead.

"Charter schools, fundamental problems with National Standards, raising Māori student achievement, the government's failure to commit to 100% qualified early childhood teachers, the future of education in Christchurch, more support for special needs students and recognising the professional work and value of school support staff are all issues which deserve full and open discussion," says Mr Leckie.

NZEI hopes the new minister will take on these challenges with an inclusive and constructive approach which values the voice of teachers, principals and communities.

It also wishes Anne Tolley well in her newly-appointed roles.

<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the government should not be allowed to push any legislation on charter schools through parliament, without a proper select committee process.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the government should not be allowed to push any legislation on charter schools through parliament, without a proper select committee process.

The government is allowing charter schools to be set up under its coalition deal with ACT, saying they will be trialed in south Auckland and Christchurch.  The policy was not flagged by either party in the lead up to the election.

NZEI believes legislation will be needed around the funding and governance of charter schools as they represent a fundamental change to the spirit of the Education Act and the Tomorrow’s Schools philosophy of communities running their own schools.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says while the government clearly had detailed policy around charter schools ready to go, the public has been completely blindsided.

"Given that, it is only fair that the any moves to establish charter schools go through proper parliamentary processes so the public at least has a chance to make submissions and have the issues debated".

"Charter schools represent a major shift in direction for New Zealand education and the government must not be allowed to simply pass legislation through the House under urgency, claiming it has a mandate to do so," he says.

NZEI believes that if a select committee was to consider charter schools, it should sit in Christchurch and south Auckland, to hear directly from residents as to whether they want charter schools driving a wedge through their communities.

"There are some very big question around why New Zealand needs charter schools and why the government is so intent on pushing them.  If the government and ACT are so wedded to the idea of charter schools, perhaps they should trial them in Epsom," Mr Leckie says.
<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says Moerewa School in Northland is at the sharp end of the government's punitive approach to National Standards.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says Moerewa School in Northland is at the sharp end of the government's punitive approach to National Standards.

The community is rallying behind the school to fight a decision by the Education Minister to close its senior secondary class, despite its students' stunning NCEA results.

Moerewa School and its principal have been strong critics of National Standards and are not implementing them because they don’t believe they will do anything to raise the achievement of Māori students.

NZEI immediate past-President Frances Nelson says "the government says it wants to raise the tail of underachievement and Māori achievement.  Moerewa School is doing that, and doing it very effectively.  The government should not turn around and punish them for that".

"What is happening at Moerewa is the sharp end of the government's punitive approach to National Standards.  That approach is being used against schools which are already performing well and making a real difference in lifting student outcomes."

Moerewa School clearly has the confidence of its community and NZEI believes the government should listen to that as a matter of urgency.

"The government should not ignore the resolve of communities such as Moerewa, in standing up for their children’s education.  What we're seeing in Moerewa will be repeated in communities around the country if the government continues to pursue flawed policy and enforce it with unreasonable action," Ms Nelson says.

<< less

The education sector union NZEI TE Riu Roa says the parents of special needs students should be concerned that schools will now be required to report their children’s achievement against "National Standards".
more >>

The education sector union NZEI TE Riu Roa says the parents of special needs students should be concerned that schools will now be required to report their children’s achievement against "National Standards".

The Ministry of Education has changed its advice to schools and says achievement information for special needs students must be included in their "National Standards" reporting.  That means schools will be required to measure the number and proportion of all students as above, at, below or well below “National Standards".

NZEI says not only does that raise serious privacy issues but it could result in schools excluding special needs children if "National Standards" information is used to publish school league tables.

Students with special needs are more likely to sit in the 'below' or 'well below' categories for their age.  

"The result of that will be that in smaller schools, or schools which have a special needs unit, those children will be easily identifiable in terms of National Standards reporting and any public league table which is drawn up," says NZEI’s immediate past-President Frances Nelson.

NZEI also believes there is a big danger that if the media can publish school league tables based on "National Standards" information, and schools are incentivised if they "perform better", then some schools won’t want students who might drag down their overall school achievement data.

"If the government stands by and allows National Standards information to be used to publicly judge and compare schools, and to reward high-performing schools, then there is no doubt some schools will make a conscious decision to exclude special needs children," Ms Nelson says.

"These privacy issues and the potential impact on special needs students, along with the increased school competition that National Standards will promote, again highlight the dangers of a one-size fits-all, tick-the-box approach to education.  They also underline the fact that such issues were never thought through in the haste to implement the Standards".

NZEI is advising Boards not to take any action with regard to reporting and submitting "National Standards" information at this stage because of the issues around the integrity of the data and the need to ensure that the privacy of individual students is not compromised.

<< less

National's education policy for schools is one dimensional and is all about tick-the-box compliance driven by the flawed "National Standards", says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.
more >>

National's education policy for schools is one dimensional and is all about tick-the-box compliance driven by the flawed "National Standards", says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.

Under its just-released policy, "National Standards" are the centrepiece of National’s agenda and will now be used as the key accountability and performance measure across all schools.

"Almost everything in this policy is underpinned by National Standards," says NZEI immediate past-President Frances Nelson.

"Professional development for teachers will hinge around "National Standards", there will be more expert advisors to implement them, schools will be expected to publish plans and targets against them by a certain date, provide templates of clear school reports, and schools and teachers will have their performance measured against them."

"It's frightening to see how much more time and money National is willing to throw into 'National Standards' when parents, teachers and school communities continue to have so little confidence in them," she says.

National is also making it clear that it will do nothing to stop public league tables being drawn up based on "National Standards" information.

Frances Nelson says schools will be very alarmed by this.

"Schools know that because the Standards are so flawed, the level of moderation is so inconsistent, and implementation is so varied around the country, any student achievement data based on them is completely unreliable.  It is unfair and dangerous for 'National Standards' to be used to compare and judge school performance, let alone as an accountability measure".

NZEI is also concerned that National wants to shift the resourcing model to 'incentivise school performance' as it suggests that money will be removed from those schools which are not complying with 'National Standards' or are not performing against them.

"More measuring doesn’t make the pig fatter and National's policy will simply increase the bureaucracy in education without adding value to the people who matter - children," says Ms Nelson.

NZEI also believes it is unfair that National has left it so late to release its education policy in the lead up to the election.

"We know National has an agenda for education.  It should be flagged honestly and within a timeframe that people have an opportunity to debate it and make an informed decision," Ms Nelson says.

<< less

Imposing National Standards on bi-lingual and ESOL students amounts to cultural bullying and will do nothing to help them become competent learners, says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.
more >>

Imposing National Standards on bi-lingual and ESOL students amounts to cultural bullying and will do nothing to help them become competent learners, says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.

The government has changed its advice and is now telling schools they must assess bi-lingual and ESOL students and report to parents against National Standards. It is part of updated Ministry of Education guidelines to schools. Previously these students were assessed against English Language Learning Progressions which were developed by the Ministry of Education and agreed to by the Education Minister.

"National Standards are unreliable and flawed and forcing them on this group of students is a tragedy, particularly as it replaces an assessment system which was appropriate for them and recognised their special learning needs and development," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

"Measuring bi-lingual children or children who have just arrived in New Zealand against a set of narrow National Standards, completely devalues their own language, and the other skills and knowledge they have.  It will also discourage first language learning which is so important on so many levels".

Research shows that students who have strong literacy in their own language have greater success in literacy in English and bi-lingualism has been identified as a major contributor to the overall academic success of Pasifika students in New Zealand schools.

Ian Leckie says "National Standards for ESOL and bi-lingual students is completely out of step with that and will only serve to label children further and demotivate them towards becoming competent learners".

NZEI also believes schools will be reluctant to measure these students against National Standards, not only because it is unfair and inappropriate, but because they will have to include them in their official reporting.

"If National Standards information is not protected and will be used to compare schools in the form of public leagues tables, there is a risk that schools will either not include these students' results, or skew their reporting to offset them," Mr Leckie says.
<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says it's good to see the issue of compulsory te reo Māori in schools being put squarely onto the political agenda and out for public debate.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says it's good to see the issue of compulsory te reo Māori in schools being put squarely onto the political agenda and out for public debate.

The Māori Party has released its education policy in which te reo Māori would be compulsory in schools in 2015.  It also steps out a plan to increase the number of te reo Māori teachers to try and achieve that.

NZEI says compulsory te reo Māori in schools would add value to children's education and to the country as a whole.

Last year a Waitangi Tribunal report warned that te reo Māori was reaching crisis point and urgent change was needed to save it from extinction.

NZEI Matua Takawaenga Laures Park acknowledges that there would be challenges around training enough te reo speakers but having all students learning te reo and having some degree of competency would ensure the vitality of the language.

"Māori is an official language of Aotearoa and it is shameful that only a relatively small number of people are fluent".

Research shows that bi-lingualism can boost student achievement in other areas and makes other languages easier to learn.

"It is ignorant and offensive for people such as the ACT Party leader Don Brash to label te reo Māori as irrelevant and to somehow suggest it has no benefit to anyone but Māori".

NZEI also welcomes the Māori Party pledge to initiate nationwide discussion about compulsory early childhood education.

However it is disappointed that the Party has failed to come out with any policy on the controversial National Standards, given their potential to crudely label students and unfairly compare schools and communities.
<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says Labour's education policy is comprehensive and promotes high quality education for all children.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says Labour's education policy is comprehensive and promotes high quality education for all children.

It shows a major commitment to quality early childhood education by promising to restore funding cuts to more than 2000 services nationwide, reinstate the target of 100% qualified teachers, retain existing subsidies and fee controls for 20 hours ECE, as well as develop planned public ECE provision.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says that will help boost participation levels and be welcomed by those services and parents who have been hit hard by government funding cuts.

Labour's policy also places some welcome importance on the role and value of school support staff by promising to provide them with training and it says it will work on the viability of centrally funding their positions.

That is in line with a recent report by NZEI, the Ministry of Education and the School Trustees Association which recommends that school leaders integrate support staff more effectively into teaching teams and provide more training.  NZEI has also long argued that funding school support staff through school operations grants is flawed and needs to change.

"It is great to see Labour listening and taking on board some of those issues and reflecting them in their policy," Mr Leckie says.

It has also listened to calls for full funding until the end of 2012 for quake-affected schools and ECE centres in Canterbury which have had significant roll drops.  NZEI has repeatedly lobbied the government on this issue, saying that full funding is essential to support children and communities and to the region’s recovery.

Labour has already said that as part of its education policy schools would no longer be required to implement "National Standards".

Ian Leckie says "we know that with the ongoing confusion and lack of confidence in the Standards, given a choice, schools would happily get rid of them".

"High quality public education is a critical issue for all New Zealanders and we need policies that will help move our great education system forward".

<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says it is refreshing to see political policy which focuses solely on children and promotes the value of investing in quality early childhood education.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says it is refreshing to see political policy which focuses solely on children and promotes the value of investing in quality early childhood education.

Labour has released its policy for children, outlining a major commitment to invest more in young children to improve their health and wellbeing.

NZEI welcomes the clear commitment to quality early childhood education which would ensure every 3 and 4 year old had access to free 20 hours Early Childhood Education a week, maintain fees control, reinstate the target of  100% qualified teachers, and restore government funding cuts to those services with more than 80% qualified staff.

"All that recognises the value of quality early childhood education and the important role it has in making a real difference to children's lives now and into the future," says NZEI National Executive member Hayley Whitaker.

Research clearly shows that investing in children at a young age brings clear and long-term benefits to society and the economy, yet according to the OECD New Zealand's investment in children is among the lowest.

"The government needs to be doing everything it can to make sure all children can participate in quality early childhood education rather than putting up barriers by cutting funding and making it more unaffordable," says Ms Whitaker.

More investment in the overall wellbeing of children in their early years can go a long way towards reducing social inequity and help them get the most out of their learning further down the track.

NZEI also welcomes Labour's promise of additional support to families in need and the commitment to extend paid parental leave.

"Having policy which is dedicated solely to improving the lives of children makes sense and is a bold and refreshing political step.  It is what our children deserve," says Ms Whitaker.
<< less

The Green Party's just released education policy is a welcome endorsement of quality public education, says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.
more >>

The Green Party's just released education policy is a welcome endorsement of quality public education, says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.

Not only are the Greens committed to a fully-funded public education system, but they would drop the controversial "National Standards", re-establish the target for 100% qualified staff in early childhood, increase school operational funding, and support pay parity and professional development for teachers.

"The Greens' policy reflects a sound understanding of what makes a quality public education system and what puts it at risk," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

"It clearly recognises the dangers of the flawed National Standards for schools, students and communities and has listened to the ongoing opposition.  Any promise to remove National Standards will be welcomed by schools which are struggling to implement them or are being forced to comply".

NZEI says it is also refreshing to see the Green Party acknowledging the importance of quality early childhood education by promising to reinstate the target of 100 percent qualified staff.  The target was removed by the government which says 80 percent qualified teachers is 'good enough'.

Ian Leckie says "our youngest children deserve the best and having 100% qualified staff is a hallmark of quality education.  We would hope the Greens commitment on this would also see them pushing for a restoration of the government funding cuts to those ECE services which have more than 80 percent qualified teachers".

The Greens' support for more resourcing of schools through higher operational funding will be music to the ears of school support staff.  They are funded through school operational funding which offers them little job security as schools juggle their funding around tight operational budgets.  

"Overall the Greens educational policy ticks the boxes for commitment to quality public education," Mr Leckie says.

<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says if the Education Review Office is going to publicly report on National Standards, it should provide a warning about the accuracy and integrity of the information.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says if the Education Review Office is going to publicly report on National Standards, it should provide a warning about the accuracy and integrity of the information.

Regardless of data accuracy, consistency or aggregation, ERO is publishing percentages and proportions of students achieving "at" or "above" National Standards as a topline learning result in its latest school reviews.

NZEI says those percentages are now being used in the media as a measure of a school’s success. (Read here)

"The danger is that ERO is putting information into the public arena which is fundamentally flawed and inevitably these bald figures will become the focus of media and parental attention," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

He says schools will be disappointed so see ERO reporting in this way because they know there is so much inconsistency in the way National Standards are being interpreted and implemented.

"Any student achievement information based on National Standards is completely unreliable and cannot give an accurate picture of where children's learning is at.  To see that information used in the media as a public indicator of a school's success or failure, is disheartening and potentially very damaging".

NZEI says ERO's approach is also at odds with the Ministry of Education's official position on assessment data in which the Secretary for Education states: "Aggregated information on its own does not indicate anything about the quality of teaching, the extent to which a school is making a difference for its students, or the extent to which it is supporting the learning for each and every student in the school. For this reason, comparisons between schools, solely on the basis of aggregated student information, are misleading."

NZEI will be taking up this issue with ERO.  

"At the very least, we believe ERO should be providing a health warning to parents and communities about the fundamental problems with National Standards data if this information is to be used publicly," says Mr Leckie.
<< less

"Teaching students is way more important than being an All Black coach" - Graham Henry, July 2011
New Zealand is celebrating World Teachers Day today. (Saturday 29 October)
World Teachers Day was established by UNESCO and is marked in over 100 countries.
more >>

"Teaching students is way more important than being an All Black coach" - Graham Henry, July 2011
New Zealand is celebrating World Teachers Day today. (Saturday 29 October)

World Teachers Day was established by UNESCO and is marked in over 100 countries.

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa, which represents thousands of teachers in primary and intermediate schools, kindergartens and early childhood centres, believes World Teachers Day is a time to celebrate and value New Zealand’s high quality education system.  

The OECD has described New Zealand as a "top-performing" country in education.

New Zealand’s early learning centres and schools are rated among the top handful in the world while our students are among the top five readers, and also do very well in maths and science.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says "there is fantastic teaching and learning going on in our classrooms and early childhood centres every day, inspired and driven by thousands of passionate and dedicated teachers".  

"World Teachers Day is an opportunity to showcase that and recognise the contribution and the difference that teachers make," he says.

"There's not a teacher in New Zealand who doesn’t want a better future for children and we need investment in education which acknowledges the diversity of our learners and meets the needs of every child".

Teachers, parents, and children from schools and early childhood centres will be taking part in World Teachers Day events around the country.
<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is repeating its call for the government to support Canterbury children and their families by retaining staffing and funding levels in quake-affected schools and community- based early childhood centres over the next year.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is repeating its call for the government to support Canterbury children and their families by retaining staffing and funding levels in quake-affected schools and community- based early childhood centres over the next year.

NZEI’s Waitaha/Canterbury Area Council is hosting a public meeting at Papanui High School at 7pm tonight where the case will be put to politicians, community leaders, principals, parents, teachers and support staff.

Area Council Chair Sandra Spekreijse says at the very heart of the request are children from the most affected schools and centres in the district.

"Parents are adamant that trusted and caring teachers and support staff are essential for the stability and emotional support of their children.  Keeping staff in place over the next year is essential for the on-going support and stability of children as they recover from the trauma of the past year," she says.

"Over the past year, our teachers and support staff have been heroic.  In many cases they have put their own needs on the back burner as they’ve worked to support children and their families."

Mrs Spekreijse says while NZEI welcomes Education Minister Anne Tolley’s announcement of a consultation on the future of education in Canterbury, schools and early childhood centres are looking for immediate help and support with both staffing and funding.  They want fair and equitable decisions to be made about funding and staffing in all parts of the education sector – from early childhood to tertiary.

"This doesn’t appear to be happening at the moment – given the Government has already guaranteed University funding for 2012 at 2011 levels.  This is exactly what the rest of the sector wants and needs".

"It’s hard to focus on the future when you’re worried about losing the very people who’ve been keeping our schools together over the past 12 months - valuable teachers and support staff.

"What makes it even worse is that support staff are currently funded from operational grants. So schools are now facing the unenviable task of either laying off staff or undertaking essential maintenance tasks like getting the playground, the driveway or the roof fixed".

"We already know that 16 or the 18 ECE centres in quake-affected parts of the city have experienced at least $700,000 in funding cuts due to roll drops - this has led to job losses, and pay cuts with some centres facing possible closure".

"It takes at least five years to get an early childhood centre up and running.  Our centres have all been an essential part of the community support network in Christchurch and to see closing is a major blow to the educational infrastructure in the city," she says.  

Mrs Spekreijse said she had called the meeting so the public had a forum to hear about what was going on in schools and centres and to support them.

"Extraordinary circumstances call for an extraordinary response so we can support our children, families and communities as they recover from the trauma of the past year," she says.

<< less

Trainee and beginning teachers are angry over proposed changes to teacher training programmes at Massey University.
more >>

Trainee and beginning teachers are angry over proposed changes to teacher training programmes at Massey University.

In a paper entitled "College of Education Academic Reform", the Pro Vice Chancellor of the College of Education James Chapman, is proposing radical change to initial teacher education.  It proposes to discontinue all undergraduate teacher education by cutting its three-year Bachelor of Education Early Years degree and the four-year Bachelor of Education Primary. That would mean students could only study teacher education through a one year, graduate diploma.

There are also serious concerns about another proposal to merge the Massey University College of Education into an Institute of Education beneath the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, with an increased focus on attracting post-graduate research. This move will threaten the jobs of teaching staff involved in initial teacher education, who aren’t classed as "research-active".

Young and New Members (YMN) of the New Zealand Educational Institute believe the proposals could be incredibly damaging to teacher education in New Zealand.  Jennifer Langridge, currently studying a graduate diploma through Massey says "although post graduate study can produce quality teachers, post-graduate students often agree that the pressure-cooker situation of being pushed through training and out into the 'real world' often leads them to be burnt out and feel underprepared in some areas of the classroom."

Emma McKay and Sarah Thomas, co-presidents of Massey University College of Education Students' Association (MUCESA) agree, arguing that undergraduate teaching qualifications must be offered alongside post-graduate.

"Students at the College of Education believe that post-graduate teacher education should not be the sole pathway to a teaching career. Students are concerned that all teachers being trained in one year will be detrimental to the future of quality education in New Zealand primary school classrooms."

Third year teacher Liam Rutherford says the move undervalues those teaching now.

"It simplifies what it means to be a teacher and the huge amount of effort and professionalism it takes to shape the students we encounter. Learning is not a linear process where teachers input knowledge and then students output understanding.  It’s laughable to think it is that simple."

YMN recognises that Massey University College of Education is the first to fall victim to the Government's reduction in undergraduate funding and the race to secure Performance Based Research Funding.

However it is urging Massey University not to shirk its responsibilities to train creative and motivated undergraduate students, and to continue its ground-breaking 4 year Bachelor of Education.  It also wants to see the University challenge the growing assumption that post-graduate research is superior to undergraduate teaching.
<< less

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is adding its concern to proposed changes to teacher training at Massey University.
more >>

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is adding its concern to proposed changes to teacher training at Massey University.

In a paper, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University's College of Education is proposing that all undergraduate teacher education be phased out.  That would mean that students could only study teacher education through a one-year, post-graduate diploma.

New and beginning teachers who are part of NZEI's Young and New Member Network, as well as members of the Massey University College of Education Students Association, have already raised alarm bells over the proposal.

NZEI President Ian Leckie agrees that the proposals are worrying and schools will be left to pick up the pieces.

"While there are some very good teachers who have completed graduate-only programmes, it should not be the preferred or only option available to those students wanting to go into teaching”.

“The undergraduate degree programmes give students a comprehensive and practically based course which is focused for three or four years on building a solid teaching foundation".

"Forcing everyone through a compressed teacher training programme is not the answer to building a professional and quality teaching workforce and it sends a worrying signal about the future of teacher education overall," he says.

In another proposal which could erode the quality of teacher education, the University wants to further reduce its costs by merging the Colleges of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Education faculties.  This would ultimately reduce the number of teacher lecturers involved in initial teacher education.

NZEI is urging Massey to listen to the concerns being expressed and take them on board before making any final decisions about changes to its teacher training programmes.

<< less