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Education

Outstanding Teachers Deserve Better

"Paying outstanding teachers the same as their less competent colleagues is unjust," Phil Howison, Libertarianz Education Spokesman said today, in response to recent debate about performance-based pay for teachers. "A Massey University report shows that principals and school board members agree that performance-based pay is a good idea, and a significant number of teachers support the idea. Another academic study suggests that the wider public is also concerned; the unjust teacher pay scale actually reduces the status of teaching as a profession, making recruitment harder."

Howison slammed the comments of Post Primary Teachers Association president Debbie Te Whaiti that "All teachers are good,"citing the report by Mary Mallon and Ruth Kane, which listed "... less than effective teachers, incompetent teachers and those who have become negative and withdrawn" as among the concerns of teaching staff. "Clearly, not all teachers are good - otherwise no teachers would lose their jobs for incompetence. The PPTA is misrepresenting the views of the education sector."

Another report, by Hall and Langton, finds "... strong support in the wider community... to pay outstanding teachers more than the rest," and concludes that one factor in the perceived low status of teaching profession is the lack of financial incentives for performance. The low status of teaching naturally leads to poor recruitment.

"Libertarianz would give control of schools back to parents and set schools free to pay teachers however they want," Howison concludes. "The state education system allows parents and students very little choice or competition. There should be a free market for both teachers and schools, which would encourage increased quality of teaching and a far more diverse range of educational options."

ENDS

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