Government puts in $111m to help plug school staffing gap

By STUART DYE


The Government will fund an extra 460 secondary teachers as it meets its commitment to plug the gaps identified by a long-term staffing review.

From next year most secondary schools will receive an extra four teachers or more under the four-year, $111 million plan.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard said the initiative represented a huge investment in "our commitment to ensuring better teaching and improved education standards".

The extra teachers were over and above extra staff required to meet roll growth and would alleviate teacher workloads, Mr Mallard said.

They have been introduced as the latest step in staffing improvements recommended following a 2000 review.

Extra staffing would allow teachers to concentrate on teaching their students and helping them to achieve, Mr Mallard said.

The teachers would also lessen pressure created by the provision of non-contact time for teachers, under last month's settlement between the Education Ministry and Post-Primary Teachers' Association.

Association president Phil Smith said some schools would always say they needed more teachers, but this would go a long way to solving main staffing problems.