The news that secondary teachers are set to strike within the next two weeks sets up an interesting situation. The Ministry of Education do the negotiating on behalf of the government with teachers. My sources tell me that industrial action is looming in the Ministry of Education itself, with pay talks stalled and the mood souring.
Will Anne Tolley soon have on her hands not only the teachers on strike, but her Ministry staff out as well? And will the negotiators for the Ministry of Education be able to come back to the table if there is movement from the teachers, or will they be on strike as well?
Yes AKL pays a lot of taxes.
But take it one step further.
Those AKL taxes are made up of $ garnered from productive enterprise in the rest of the country. Productive enterprise which brings in foreign exchange. Logs, wool, meat, milk.
AKL doesn’t actually generate much of the country’s wealth in terms of foreign receipts. So the taxes it pays is old money; money which has already been circulating within the country, pulled into the country by…logs, wool, meat, milk.
A lot of red herrings about.
Do you expect teachers to accept more work, more criticism by a fanatical minister, have class conditions down graded, and see private schools given more support without calling the minister to account.
The shortage of teachers is a product of many things that have not been addressed for two generations. Meanwhile schools have had many things loaded on them and their structure altered so they are more alone, less supported and targets for bashing by right wing private school protagonists.
The public education system is the mainstay of our society melding varied parts of our community to live together and be effective as citizens.
Better public schooling is what is inferred by the constant harping and criticism but no resources are forthcoming from the critics.
The fruits of the public school system are enjoyed throughout the land with private schools being more insular and selective.
When teachers put up with Nationals standards foisted to please an ignorant minister and misguided of the cuff policy then they should strike to address that matter alone.
This govt is using misinformation to confuse the public and running down our schools.
What do league tables do for children’s education. Totally extraneous to education but a clobbering tool to divide and rule.
What is NACTS real agenda here. Privatise schools?
Popeye said: “The Ministry is in a state of siege. The hitherto innovative champions of the revised curriculum have been made slaves (and willingly if they have submitted) to the government’s populist policies. Having your minister express ‘no confidence’ in the Ministry’s capacity to support student achievement wouldn’t have helped either. I know many in the Ministry, in teaching and in support services….ALL who think that this is the most fearful, bullying, autocratic, and demeaning of times to be in education.”
Engrave this in stone – in considerably less than 100 years, historians will recognize it for what it is: the eulogy for an internationally recognised education system that was sacrificed on a testimony of lies to the gods of power-at-all-costs politics. Read it and weep NZ.
As a teacher who has also worked quite a few years outside teaching, just the following: I have certainly also worked many more hours and heaps more in teaching than in the private sector. It is non-stop, because apart from lesson preparations, marking etc. there is all the unnecessary administration required by the Ministry (and that certainly in many cases serve no purpose). Working with children and young people is great and I love it, but it is also demanding. You have to be a people-person all the time, no matter what. You deal with students as well as parents as well as senior management of the school, ERO etc.etc. It involves patience, flexibility and many other attributes. Of course we are there because we have chosen to be there, but on top of everything else you have to deal with some very difficult students. That has changed a lot over the years. The number of students making teaching quite a stressful job these days, has multiplied. All we need is respect — for a job well done in most cases. (If the job isn’t well done, there are consequences, because we ARE accountable.) To those of you constantly criticising: come and spend some time with us in our classrooms and then we talk again. Also, if we are doing such a bad job, you may consider homeschooling……