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ACT announces latest plan to undermine public education
ACT announces latest plan to undermine public education
2 September 2017
The latest ACT Party education policy, announced today, is a transparent attempt to undermine public education, teachers and unions that's straight out of the party's playbook, NZEI Te Riu Roa says.
"For the Under Secretary of Education, David Seymour is staggeringly out of touch with what teachers say matters to them and what public schools need to provide children with the best education in the world," NZEI Te Riu Roa president Lynda Stuart said.
"This is straight out of Act's playbook - undermine public education, undermine teachers, and undermine unions. It'd be laughable, if the Government hadn't given Mr Seymour a high-paying undersecretary role and millions to waste on charter schools.
"Mr Seymour seems unaware of the huge work that's underway on developing a career framework for teachers. This is what they want, not for some teachers to be singled out for higher pay.
"This is also what works in the most successful education systems overseas, whose Governments work with teacher unions to build workforce capability, not against them.
"However, it is good to see ACT acknowledging that teachers need to be paid more. But with teacher workload growing, along with a teacher shortage, all teachers need a pay rise, not just some," Ms Stuart said.
NZEI Te Riu Roa
New Zealand Educational Institute
NZEI Te Riu Roa members work in every community in New Zealand, leading and advocating for quality public education.
We are the 50,000 principals, teachers and support staff who work in primary, area and secondary schools as well as early childhood centres, special education and school advisory services. We come together as NZEI Te Riu Roa - New Zealand's largest education union, a Treaty based organisation and a powerful advocate for quality public education.
We have the most important job in New Zealand - educating for the future.
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