The Post-Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) says the government’s plan to plug the teacher shortage with relievers will shortchange thousands of young people.
The Post-Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) says the government’s plan to plug the teacher shortage with relievers will shortchange thousands of young people.
On Friday the Government announced a series of short-term actions to utilise relief teachers to ease pressure on schools.
The Teaching Council will loosen eligibility criteria for Limited Authorities to Teach (LATs) to allow previously registered teachers to receive a LAT.
An LAT enables those without a teaching qualification to teach in positions where there is need for specialist skills or skills are in short supply.
The change means that as well as experts who aren’t qualified teachers, previously registered teachers can now also come into classrooms as relievers on a LAT.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said the new measures are short-term and in response to a relief teacher shortage that’s preventing children from being in the classroom.
It comes just a week after Ōrewa College announced it may have to roster students at home for online learning due to a critical staff shortage.
However, PPTA president Chris Abercrombie said the Government’s ad-hoc response meant students wouldn’t be taught by trained and qualified subject specialist teachers.
“The [Education] Minister is essentially looking to flood classrooms with unregistered relievers,” he said.
“Very few of these relievers will be across the new requirements for the implementation of level 1 NCEA, or the new English and maths curriculum or structured literacy delivery. Some teachers without practising certificates won’t have taught for well over three years.”
Abercrombie said the constant use of relievers was impacting students’ enjoyment of school thus impacting their attendance.
“Having more unqualified and uncertificated people in front of them is not going to help with this. Secondary students need specialist teachers who are grounded in their subject and can challenge and stretch students’ learning and knowledge.”
He said the minister’s response was evidence of a systemic failure to recognise and value teaching and ensure that teachers were retained and new teachers were attracted to the profession.
PPTA president Chris Abercrombie said the ad-hoc response by the government meant students wouldn’t be taught by trained and qualified subject specialist teachers. Photo / Supplied.
Rather than responding to the crisis with ad-hoc measures, the Government needed to support the teaching profession with adequate resourcing of new NCEA requirements, wrap-around services for students, and improved pay and working conditions for teachers, Abercrombie said.
“The cold, hard fact of the matter is that there are thousands of highly-skilled and experienced former teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand today who would come back to school next week if the salary and conditions were attractive.
Ōrewa College may roster students home for online learning due to a critical staff shortage. Photo / Google Maps
“Every young person has a right to a trained and registered specialist teacher in every subject. Denying them that right, because of a failure to ensure a consistent supply of New Zealand trained and qualified secondary teachers, undermines the life choices of our young people and the future of Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Abercrombie also cited the “double standard” of the Government pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into charter schools while severely under-funding the public education system.
Stanford said staff illness had increased, compounded by classroom release time and professional development time for teachers.
She said the short-term measures had been requested by teachers and principals.
Other changes included the option or working without having to go through a teacher refresher process or paying for a new three-year practising certificate; the ministry and Teaching Council contacting recently retired teachers or those returning from parental leave; and encouraging teacher aides to work as LATs.
The focus was on encouraging teachers who are currently not teaching to return as relievers.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said the changes the government made are short-term and in response to the current relief teacher shortage. Photo / Supplied
“We have heard that too many teachers who want to relieve are finding the process too expensive and difficult. These short-term measures are designed to make it easier and cheaper to relieve the pressure of schools who have had to roster home year groups, combine classes, or ask teachers taking their classroom release time to cover.”
Stanford said there was a particular shortage of secondary teachers, who had been added to the immigration “green list” as another interim fix, resulting in nearly 360 secondary teachers entering the country in the last year, a 54% increase on the previous 12 months.
“We need to grow the overall workforce and that takes time. We’ve already invested $53 million to attract, retain and train our teachers. This includes training and recruiting 1500 additional new teachers and expanding the school on-site training programme.”
Papatoetoe High School principal Vaughan Couillault said the changes would help address the teacher shortage by bringing previously registered teachers back into the workforce as relievers.
”It’s not something we would want to see continue necessarily into the long-term... But right now we’ve got classrooms that need relief teachers in them.
”You’re not just grabbing anyone off the street, you’re grabbing people who have been trained and have been registered before. They’ve already met the criteria, they’re just a bit rusty.”
In an email this month, ŌrewaCollege principal Wiri Warriner said the nationwide shortage of relievers had reached a critical point.
This has forced the school to roster year groups home for online learning, with the first year likely to be its Year 11 students, because “our pool of available relievers is nearing exhaustion”.
Warriner said staff absences had also risen steadily “to the extent that it is becoming very difficult to sustainably staff the college”.
