Country facing a shortage of technology teachers

New Zealand schools are facing a crisis as a lack of new recruits threaten to collapse the technology curriculum, the Post Primary Teachers Association says.

PPTA executive member Penney Dunckley told the union's annual conference today technology teaching jobs represented nearly 20 per cent of all secondary school vacancies.

Sixty two per cent of schools who responded to the PPTA's 2006 survey said they couldn't recruit new technology teachers, and therefore teachers with inappropriate qualifications were being asked to teach the subject.

In 2003, 'G3' teachers - whose vocational qualifications had previously been considered equivalent to a bachelor's degree for pay purposes - were barred from the top level of the teaching pay scale.

Ms Dunckley said higher salaries in the trades suggested the crisis would worsen.

"The government says it is keen to encourage students to learn basic trade skills as well as more advanced technology at school, but the length of time taken to solve the G3 issue indicates the low priority placed on the real needs of students and teachers."

- NZPA