Posted by: Observer
on 22, Jul, 2010
What the hell was that? Tolley (who clearly had only the most superficial grasp of what a PPP was) must have felt like she had been savaged by a flock of dead sheep because Henry’s interview was so pathetic.
If he hasn’t time to get to grips with the main problems with PPPs, he should at least have had someone on the programme (Bill Rosenberg, Ganesh Nana, - even Trevor Mallard) who does!
No Paul, it isn’t just unions who oppose them. If you look here you’ll see that the NZ Treasury concluded there was nothing in it for NZ – hardly a bunch of leftwing pinkies!
Posted by: Rob
on 03, May, 2010
New Zealand teachers have one of the lowest starting salaries in the developed world
The OECD's Education at a Glance report 2009 shows that New Zealand teachers have one of the lowest starting salaries in the developed world but work some of the longest hours.
- Of 29 countries in the survey New Zealand had the fourth worst starting salary.
- After 15 years' experience New Zealand secondary teachers have a cost of living/exchange rate-adjusted (PPP) salary which is 17% lower than the OECD average.
Future proofing the secondary teaching profession
What we as a profession have to consider is what happens to teacher supply in the very near future when the economy recovers and new jobs and higher wages are again easily available outside teaching. A short term advantage gained by the recession can quickly revert to a major teacher shortage.
We are asking 4% to ensure that we have prepared for the inevitable counter-supply pressure which will (if not adequately anticipated) lead to another sudden and severe secondary teacher shortage as soon as next year.
In a competitive international market for secondary teachers we are also at risk of losing more teachers overseas if we do not maintain the relativity of our salaries internationally. We are already significantly behind other similar countries:
Distorted and politically motivated picture of teacher salaries
"The Government has carefully chosen its time period for commenting on teacher salaries to support what is a traditional policy of National governments to neglect secondary teacher salaries in the state sector until driven by a publicly unmanageable teacher supply crisis to a minimal response.
By using a low point as a starting reference (2000) and looking only at the 'recovery' period underpinned by the recommendations of the Bazely report and the (often reluctant) adherence to them by successive Labour governments the current Minister of Finance is presenting a distorted and politically motivated picture of teacher salaries. And he's not even correct in the critical figure he uses. At this stage in 2000 the top of scale rate was $50,300. This means that the increase over the last 10 years has been 38%, not the 50% he claims. We hope the Finance Minister is getting at least some other numbers right!"
Some context might help to present a more accurate picture than the Minster's carefully selected sound bite.
The attractiveness of secondary school teacher salaries depends on how the $'s compare to what could be earned outside teaching
Most teachers are paid at the top of the scale rate. This is the 'standard' rate for salary comparison and is the rate for the basic teaching job. It is what most graduates could expect to be paid if they come into teaching and what most teachers thinking of leaving for other better paying jobs are assessing their options against. The relative attractiveness of teaching salaries dependent largely upon how it compares with other wage and salary that could be earned in other jobs outside teaching.
Posted by: PPTAweb
on 28, Oct, 2009
Key issues pay-cut challenge to teachers - Jase writes that
Key and the other MP’s should in turn be challenged to take a pay-cut to support the cleaners, or those workers in parliament who lost the redundancy in their first year of employment clause (as mentioned by Helen Kelly in her address to the NZCTU Conference)…
Both CTU and NZEI responded to Key - a quote from the CTU response follows
Posted by: blogger
on 22, Jun, 2009
By Winged Rodent
It's amazing how things change once you get elected.
Bill English is now brutally taking an axe to the night classes that, four years ago, he claimed gave a life-line to his own mother.
In a 2005 speech to CLASS (Community Learning Association through Schools) English used his Mum to illustrate a story about the important role community education played in society.
"I recall my mother going off to night-time classes in furniture restoration - a quite space in the busy life of a household of 12 children. There are a thousand stories about how human needs are met by the collective and aspirational activity of learning," he said.
English now plans to slash 80% of the funding to those same courses, leaving the remaining 20% to fund more ‘worthy' literacy and numeracy based classes.
But it gets better - in a 2006 press release he criticizes Labour for "destroying" night classes and argues they should be saved.
