170 teaching jobs cut in Christchurch

Cleaning up Christchurch Girls High School after the February quake. Because students have left the city since, nearly 170 teaching jobs are to be cut. Photo / APN

Nearly 170 Christchurch teaching jobs are being slashed to reflect the number of students who have left the city's schools since the earthquakes.

Education Minister Anne Tolley said today that 3500 students from Christchurch remained enrolled in schools outside the city, while more than 1500 had moved to different schools within the city, and teacher numbers would be changed to reflect that.

"Students who have moved because of the earthquakes have not left the education system, and we are now effectively redistributing resources from one area to another, be that within the city, within the region, or within New Zealand," Mrs Tolley said.

"Schools in Christchurch and around the country are being sent their provisional staffing entitlements for next year, as we ensure we have the right number of teachers in the right places to meet the on-going needs of our students."

The overall staffing entitlements for Christchurch schools next year would be reduced by 167.

Mrs Tolley said it was expected that attrition and the completion of fixed-term contracts would largely account for any job losses.

Where that was not the case, redundancy support of thirty or forty school weeks' salary could be available to permanent full-time staff, according to collective agreements, from Term One 2012.

Teachers union NZEI said the move was short-sighted and would come as a blow to those schools that were still trying to put themselves back together.

NZEI president Ian Leckie said it was the wrong time to pull resources out of the city.

"Schools have lost buildings, classrooms and playing fields among other things, and now they are faced with losing teaching staff who have worked tirelessly to provide stability and support to traumatised students and their families."