A number of central Auckland schools are worried about the dramatic drop in the quality of teachers, on top of the region's mass shortage.
The Auckland Primary Principals Association last week described the shortage as the worst in decades, and called on the Ministry of Education to act.
That view was also held by Emma Wallace, a member on the Mt Eden Normal Primary's board of trustees, who also thinks the Ministry's in denial about the crisis they're facing.
She said the board, along with five others in the area, met recently and all shared the same concern around the ongoing difficulty to fill vacancies and the evident drop in the number of experienced teachers.
"Two years ago, some of our colleagues in other schools may have got 200 applications for a job, now we're getting one or two.
"In terms of the quality ... we're seeing a real drop in quality. Definitions of an experienced teacher are changing from 8 to 9 years, to about 1 to 2 years."
She said the other thing they were seeing was that with the shortage, particularly in winter, they're looking for relievers.
"Lots of schools are splitting classes during the day, which really compromises your class plan and the lessons the children are getting that day."
Wallace said schools were coping by being creative but it was only a short-term fix.
"Is it about helping people with their student loans? What are the other things we could be doing? We just want to think a bit more creatively around it because we're not going to solve transport and housing ... but what could we do?"
She said nine teachers left their school last year - six of whom left Auckland altogether.
The Ministry of Education has been approached for comment.
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Comments
What incentive is there to be a teacher today, especially in Auckland? Teachers are being asked to do more and more both in training and in the classroom. The Government tightens the funding every way they can making conditions difficult.
The hours of work are demanding to create interesting and exciting learning experiences and then assess it. Meanwhile the kinds of issues (behavior, learning difficulties and social problems) children bring to school are becoming extreme all too often.
Then there is the pay. If you are young, single and not buying a house (especially in Auckland) it is ok. But as you advance and have a family it is a very poor return for the massive cost of at least 4 years of university education. Why not take that education into a less stressful and less demanding career path where you can earn enough to live better and maybe buy a house?
Why would anyone want to be a teacher in New Zealand today? This article shows that fewer and fewer are willing to take this job and stay in it.
Remember it is a job, just another job.
I have taught for 16 years and it keeps getting harder. I understand why so many young teachers drop out and do something else.