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Education groups unite to condemn use of unqualified teacher
Media statement
For immediate
release
6 August
2012
Education groups unite
to condemn use of unqualified teachers
The major education sector groups are united in their condemnation of the Government allowing unqualified and unregistered teachers in charter schools.
The Government announced last week its intention to proceed with the introduction of Charter Schools, which will necessitate a change to the Education Act.
It said that the teachers in charter schools would not necessarily be qualified or registered.
The G7 group says the move is an attack on teaching and its professionalism.
They say there is no place in New Zealand’s quality public education system for unqualified teachers and allowing them into the school system will potentially expose New Zealand children to poor and unsafe practitioners.
Education groups say the professionalism and quality of teaching in New Zealand is world class with New Zealand having one of the best public education systems in the OECD.
The group is also concerned about the governance arrangements for the new charter schools.
Under the charter school model there is no obligation for parents or the community to be directly elected on to school boards. This “flexibility” around charter schools effectively allows the sponsor to decide how the school is governed. This may mean that it could be governed by the sponsor directly or delegated to one or more people to carry out some of governance functions.
A charter school
“sponsor” could nominate an individual, body or any
group or organisation to act in the governance role, rather
than have a board directly elected by the parents from the
school
community.
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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