November 15, 2018
Teacher imports miss tikanga step
The head of the primary teachers union says bringing in teachers from overseas is a short term fix and may not represent value for money.
The Education Ministry says it has screened around 550 of the 3000 overseas teachers who responded to its overseas recruitment drive, and they’re ready to be hired for next year.
Lynda Stuart from NZEI Te Riu Roa says New Zealand has developed a personalised model of learning which may be unfamiliar to many of the imports.
That puts an extra load on other teachers to show them new teaching methods and help them cope with New Zealand’s diversity.
"Particularly in areas like Auckland where we have a highly multicultural city, particularly supporting knowledge around te reo and tikanga which is so important in our country," Ms Stuart says.
The experience of principals is also that many imported teachers only last a couple of years.
She says while the current offer on the table for the teachers’ collective agreement will mean some pay increase, it does not address the time and workload issues that are affecting teacher recruitment and retention.
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