PPTA has ban on co-operating with charter schools
A Northland student is struggling to become a qualified teacher after being forced out of a school placement by a teachers' union because he works at a charter school.
This is despite the Ministry of Education saying the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) had no authority to make that decision. The student, who did not want to speak publicly, now faces an uncertain future with the possibility of not finishing his studies.
The man started at Te Kura Hourua O Whangarei Terenga Paraoa in Whangarei this year as a teacher. He had a bachelor's degree and was employed on the proviso he would study towards a post-graduate diploma in teaching through Massey University. But just three days in to his first placement, at Tikipunga High School, he was asked to leave.
Te Kura Hourua O Whangarei Terenga Paraoa principal Nathan Matthews said while he knew about the ban, once the student was accepted by the school he thought it would be okay.