ACT education spokesman Donna Awatere Huata today said today that a record 2210 primary and early childhood school teachers had left New Zealand in the past twelve months to February this year.

“I’m very concerned. While the Minister claims there are low teacher vacancy rates currently it does not mean we can be complacent, especially with figures like this.

“Undoubtedly, should such a rate continue upwards the impact on teacher vacancies and the quality of education delivered to our children will be negatively affected.

“It is no surprise there is an increase in the number of teachers leaving the country - considering teachers no longer have the incentive to achieve with the removal of bulk funding and school zoning plus an academic framework where success is not rewarded.

“The Minister may well be right in the short term that vacancies are low simply as a reaction to not only skilled people leaving the country but also their young children leaving with them,” said Mrs Huata.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>