$5 Million Package To Encourage People Into Teaching

Education Minister Trevor Mallard has announced a $5 million package to encourage people into teaching, particularly into the secondary sector.

"At the moment there is a bulge in student numbers on primary school rolls," Trevor Mallard said.

"That will soon impact on our secondary schools and we need good teachers in place to cope with the extra students.

"The key points of this package are:

- An unlimited number of allowances (of up to $10, 000) for people willing to teach in hard to staff secondary school subjects including maths, computing, physical education and Maori.

- Funding to help secondary trainees gain practical experience in isolated schools

- More TeachNZ rural scholarships and

- Increasing the International Relocation Grant to encourage New Zealand trained teachers to return to New Zealand.

“The issue of addressing the shortage of teachers who are expert in maths, physics, computing, PE and te reo Maori is particularly important.

“I meet regularly with people from the secondary and teacher education sectors, and we agree that we need to recruit more teachers in those curriculum areas.

"However we have to accept that teacher supply issues cannot be cured in one quick fix. We also have to ensure teaching is a rewarding profession.

"So in addition to financial incentives such as the allowances, practical experience funding and relocation grants, the contract negotiations and improvements to staffing signalled in the School Staffing Review will help make schools more attractive places to be," Trevor Mallard said.

The financial initiatives package announced today is effective immediately. Students finishing degrees in maths, physics, computing, physical education or te reo Maori and wanting to teach in secondary schools can apply for these allowances from today.

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