Government celebrates record increase in teacher numbers
Education Minister Erica Stanford.
Photo:
RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The government is celebrating a record increase in teacher numbers.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said a 2.5 percent rise last year included 1128 new primary teachers and 736 in secondary schools - the biggest increase since records began in 2009, while first-time domestic enrolments in Initial Teacher Education rose 6.3 percent from 3400 to 3615.
She said the increase has affected every region.
"Every region has more teachers than it did a year ago, with particularly strong increases in South and West Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington and Canterbury. That's a clear sign our reform of the education system is giving people the confidence to choose teaching as a career."
She pointed to teacher pay rates and the $53 million in government funding set aside in this year's Budget to cover registration fees as ways the government has encouraged the profession to grow.
The registration fee change would not have affected teachers last year, though expectations of it could have encouraged more enrolments.
"From scholarships and onsite training pathways to removing financial barriers like registration fees, we've made it easier for people to take that first step into the classroom, and it's working," Stanford said.
"We're backing our education workforce - from training to registration to the classroom - because when we support teachers, we support better outcomes for every learner," she said.
She noted average total pay was now over $94,000 a year for primary school teachers, and about $101,000 for secondary
For principals, the pay increased to $150,000 for primary and $200,000 for secondary, she said.
RNZ in April
reported the overseas enrolments boosted student teacher numbers
after years of low enrolment
created a workforce crisis
.
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