More work needed on workload to fix teacher shortage

News today that the teacher shortage is improving is positive, but more needs to be done to make teaching a sustainable and attractive profession in the long term, says NZEI Te Riu Roa President Lynda Stuart.

"NZEI Te Riu Roa has been ringing warning bells about the teacher shortage for many years now, and fixing it was a key focus of our collective agreement negotiations. We're glad the situation is slowly starting to turn around, but the government still needs to make improvements to workload and wellbeing in order to fix the problem in the long-term," says Ms Stuart.

"The government's release today notes that there is still likely to be a shortfall of 1,020 teachers in 2020. That's going to put real strain on schools and will impact children's learning. It's vital that we see tangible improvements to workload and wellbeing in order to make teaching attractive and sustainable in the long-term."

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