KEY POINTS:
New teachers will have to show what they are capable of before being unleashed on students, under new standards released today by the New Zealand Teacher's Council.
Council director Peter Lind released seven standards for graduating teachers covering required professional knowledge, practice, values and relationships.
Key among them is proving they have appropriate knowledge for what they want to teach and understand theories on how pupils learn best.
They will also have to be "committed members of the profession" and "have knowledge of tikanga and te reo Maori to work effectively within the bicultural contexts of Aotearoa New Zealand".
Dr Lind said the standards were developed in response to a call from teachers for more certainty in the quality of teaching graduates.
"We have developed the standards to ensure that, for the first time, there is an agreed national standard that graduating teachers have to meet, whether they will be teaching in a school or early childhood centre, including all Maori medium settings."
The standards governed what graduating teachers must know, understand and be able to do, Dr Lind said.
"Principals, head teachers, supervisors and employers will have a clear set of standards on which to base their expectations of new graduates, regardless of where they graduate from."
The standards would come into force from January 2008, and from then teacher education providers would have to show new teaching programmes aligned with the standards in order to gain approval to run the programmes.
Teachers union the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) backed the announcement.
"NZEI supports the introduction of these new standards because successful student learning requires quality teachers," said national president Irene Cooper.
"Our student teachers have been expressing their concern about inconsistencies in the quality of their study programmes for some time."
She said primary school principals had also been concerned about the mixed quality of newly qualified teachers.
Education Minister Steve Maharey welcomed the national standards.
"This important initiative by the Teachers Council will feed into current work by the government to make sure newly qualified teachers are effectively prepared and supported in their early years," he said.
The Education Ministry was doing a review to look at how students were taught to be teachers and a related consultation document would be released next month.
Also the Tertiary Education Commission was working on reforms that would impact on teacher training.
"We're all working together to life the standard of the teaching profession in our schools by making sure teachers are properly prepared to make a difference for every one of the learners they work with."
- NZPA
