The Government has set up a new emergency fund to recruit foreign teachers in time for the new school year following a looming teacher shortage.
Auckland has been the worst hit, with the teacher shortage meaning one in five Auckland schools will start the new school term short on staff.
"It is the worst that it has been in over 15 years, when you are looking at probably eighty per cent of secondary schools not able to guarantee they’ll have sufficient teachers to deliver the curriculum next year," Jack Boyle, the president of the PPTA, says.
The Government has introduced a $9.5 million fund in the hopes of recruiting teachers from overseas.
The fund will also help recruit those who can teach maths, science and Te Reo Maori, lure back retired teachers, and pay for the practising certificate of experienced teachers.
The Government says it will also expand a bonding scheme for new teachers in low decile schools in Auckland.
However, the payment has been slashed from $17,000 to $10,500.
Critics say the new package isn’t enough to stem the tide of teachers leaving the profession for a larger salary.
National MP Nikki Kaye says, "What the government has announced today is, in my view, a drop in the bucket in what needs to be spent."
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