Some schools still attempting to fill teaching vacancies days out from students returning

January 31, 2021

The Education Ministry predicts there will be enough supply to meet demand this year, but unions say the teachers available don’t always have the right qualifications.

Some schools are still trying to fill vacancies as children prepare to head back to the classroom this week.

The Ministry of Education predicts it can meet demand, but unions claim available teachers aren't always in the right location or have the right qualifications.

One school teacher preparing for the first week as a teacher is Waikanae school's Phoebe Waugh.

“I'm really excited to meet all the kids and I hope that they're excited to come back to school as well,” she said.

Waugh is one of a record number of recent graduates, and with Kiwi teachers returning home from overseas, schools are in a much better position than it was several years ago.

There are still concerning shortages, however, with schools struggling to fill subjects.

“Physics, maths, te reo Māori, chemistry and technology are still hard to staff in some areas, and of course there's some rural schools that still have vacancies, of even up to five that I'm aware of,” the Secondary Principals Association NZ’s Deidre Shea said.

The New Zealand Educational Institute’s Liam Rutherford said schools “are scratching their head around whether or not they're going to have the right teacher in the right part of the country with the right set of skills that that school needs”.

NZEI has since launched an independent review into staffing levels. The union says teachers have already indicated they feel under-resourced for over-filled classrooms and dealing with issues like inequality.

“We expect 2021 is going to further exacerbate that,” Rutherford said. “Schools are reporting they're feeling on a knife’s edge.”

The Ministry of Education says a report released last week saying some children were behind by up to 10 weeks because of lockdowns was a wake-up call.

The Education Ministry is now busying itself with pre-recording more television episodes and organising packages ahead of any possible school shutdowns this year.

“We're asking on a daily basis as we get new information, ‘what do we need to change?', 'what can we do better?’ so we're confident that we're able to respond and support our educators to respond well,” the Education Ministry’s Katrina Casey said.

Teachers are also preparing in case of lockdown.

“I really hope there isn't one soon, but if there is, then we will do everything we can do to make it as smooth as possible,” Waugh said.

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