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RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Early childhood sector facing 'dark future', pay parity to freeze for two years
Early Childhood Education teachers play a crucial role in educating young children, the Teaching Council says. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly The Teaching Council has spoken out, after the government watered down early childhood teachers' pay-parity arrangements. The professional body for teachers said the government must take care not to undermine a well-qualified early childhood sector. Chief executive Lesley Hoskin said early childhood teachers played a crucial role in educating young children. "We urge the government to proceed with caution with any changes that could make education and care centres less attractive places to work in for the qualified teachers that our children need. "Unless they are based upon a strong focus on meeting young children's learning needs, changes in this area risk undermining educational outcomes at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. They could also create a two-tier system, where only families that can afford higher costs receive better learning opportunities." Last year, the government cut relief teachers from pay parity and, this week, it announced newly qualified teachers could be placed on the lowest salary step , regardless of prior qualifications and experience. It also introduced a two-year moratorium to prevent services moving from a lower-paid to higher-paid tier of the graduated parity system. Early Childhood New Zealand Te Rio Maioha, which represented hundreds of early childhood centre owners and managers, said the sector faced a dark future as a result of the changes and the budget's below-inflation 0.5 percent increase to the sector's subsidies. Organisation chief executive Kathy Wolfe said the government demonstrated that it did not believe decades of evidence that showed high-quality ECE led to better outcomes for children. "This government appears to be saying that experience and education no longer matter, that quality early childhood education can be sacrificed in the name of government cost-cutting," she said. "The announcement to freeze pay parity for two years is also a further sign that the government's aim is to reduce their future investment commitments. "This is purely a fiscal decision for the government. Employers now cannot opt into funded higher parity options to value their teaching staff." Some ECE centre owners said pay parity was difficult to afford , because the associated government subsidies were inadequate. However, Ministry of Education figures showed the number of centres opting into the highest tier of parity had increased by 400 since 2023 to 1484 in March 2025. They also showed the sector employed 23,699 qualified teachers last year and 9610 people who worked with children in teaching roles, but were not qualified. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Teaching Council Urges Caution — Qualified Teachers Are The Heart Of Quality Early Childhood Education
Wellington, 30 May 2025 The Teaching Council has restated the importance of a well-qualified Early Childhood Education (ECE) sector and urged the Government to take care not to undermine this. This comes in the wake of changes to the pay parity opt-in scheme for education and care services that have raised concerns from the profession. As the professional body for teachers, we are committed to improving the quality of teaching and learning in Aotearoa for all children and young people. Qualified and registered teacher are fundamental to the educational purpose of ECE. Qualified ECE teachers are highly skilled professionals who hold a teaching qualification. ECE teachers play a crucial role in educating young children, shaping their early development and learning experiences. We urge the Government to proceed with caution with any changes that could make education and care centres less attractive places to work in for the qualified teachers that our children need. Unless they are based upon a strong focus on meeting young children's learning needs, changes in this area risk undermining educational outcomes at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. They could also create a two-tier system where only families that can afford higher costs receive better learning opportunities. Research shows that early childhood is a crucial period for developing cognitive and executive brain functions, which have lasting impacts on learning, health, and social outcomes. Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 2017), the ECE curriculum, supports this progression, helping young children develop self regulation, relationship-building skills, and phonemic awareness—all essential for future learning. The development of oracy (oral communication) and oral comprehension is fundamental to early development, particularly at a time when oracy rates are declining nationally and internationally. A growing gap between high-income and low-income families in pre-school oracy further highlights the need for strong teaching support in ECE. For these reasons, the Teaching Council believes more effort should be directed toward strengthening the teaching workforce and making the best use of Aotearoa's Registered and Certificated teachers. Supporting and retaining qualified teachers remains our priority and we call for the Government to avoid any changes that risk working against that.
1News
16-05-2025
- 1News
Deputy principal on leave amid police investigation into staff member
A deputy principal from Onslow College in Wellington is on leave, while the police have confirmed they have received a complaint about a school staff member and are making inquiries. The school told parents it was "undertaking a process" concerning Connor Baird, one of five deputy principals at the college, who was currently on leave. The note to parents, sent on Wednesday morning and signed off by the principal and two board chairs, addressed a recent media query about "rumours circulating in our community relating to Deputy Principal Mr Baird, who is currently on leave". "Onslow College is undertaking a process that ensures the matter is managed respectfully and fairly," it said. But as the process was confidential, it needed to respect the privacy of everyone involved and were not able to provide further information, the school statement said. "We kindly ask our community to avoid speculation, which can have unintended consequences," it said. "The wellbeing of our students, staff and whānau is our highest priority." Wellington Police confirmed to RNZ it was making inquiries after receiving a complaint relating to an Onslow College staff member. "We are working to determine if any criminal offending has taken place." The teaching council registration database showed Baird has "voluntarily agreed not to teach". It told RNZ: "When there are serious allegations made regarding a teacher's conduct, the Teaching Council's Triage Committee may seek a voluntary agreement with the teacher to step away from teaching while the matter is investigated to ensure a fair and transparent process." It should be seen as a precautionary measure without any implication or assumption of guilt, it said. "In general, the Teaching Council does not comment on complaints or Mandatory Reports that have been made to the Council (including confirming whether one has recently or previously been received in relation to a specific teacher, ECE centre, school or Kura). This is to ensure we act in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and the principles of natural justice."
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Irish Times
Former principal convicted of €100,000-plus theft from school faces fitness-to-teach inquiry
A Teaching Council fitness-to-teach inquiry has heard evidence regarding a former principal from the midlands who stole more than €100,000 from the school he was working in. The 381 instances of theft occurred in a primary school between 2017 and 2019. The man was tried on indictment, found guilty and subsequently sentenced to six years, with the final 4½ years suspended. The thefts stemmed from the use of a credit card and cheques, on which the man forged the signature of the chairperson of the board of management. Eoghan O'Sullivan BL, appearing for the director of the Teaching Council, argued that the man's convictions affect his fitness to teach. READ MORE The man, who is now working as a teacher, said he was arrested one week before Christmas 2020, which came as 'a shock', and that he fully co-operated with the investigation. He said the hardest thing about his incarceration was being separated from his son, who was then 'four going on five'. The conditions on which part of the teacher's jail sentence was suspended included him paying €60,000 to the school in €20,000 instalments on the first, second and third anniversaries of his release from custody. However, the man said that on the first anniversary, he came to an agreement with the school to pay back just €10,000, as he was on jobseekers' allowance and looking for employment in the education sector. The man is currently teaching in a primary school in the east region, where he began working last December and was subsequently offered a permanent position. Representatives of the Teachers' Union of Ireland provided support to the teacher at the inquiry. Before the hearing, the Teaching Council panel agreed to impose reporting restrictions to protect the man's anonymity. Further amendments were made to the order at Thursday's hearing, including not reporting the names of any witnesses, except those called in a professional capacity, the name of the sentencing judge, the nature of a disability the teacher has, and the name of the school where he is employed. However, before drawing the inquiry to a conclusion, the panel adjourned to consider its directions in light of queries from The Irish Times regarding the order on anonymity. The panel, through its chairperson Mary Magner, and after considering legal advice from legal assessor Ronan Kennedy SC, ruled it could be reported that the inquiry related to a former principal from the midlands who was affected by an addiction. During the inquiry, Cathy Maguire SC, on behalf of the teacher, called Prof Colin O'Gara, a consultant psychiatrist at St John of God Hospital, who works in the field of addiction, to give evidence. He said he met the teacher in June 2023 for an initial assessment and told the inquiry he had presented with a long history of severe addiction. Prof O'Gara cautioned against how the media may portray the addiction from which the teacher was suffering, and the offences for which he was convicted, as he said this merely adds to the stigma associated with the addiction. 'It's part of the public shaming, some people don't have problems like that, it's misery heaped on misery,' he said. The teacher also outlined the history of his addiction, which began in 2007. He gave evidence regarding the death of his younger brother, who was afflicted by the same addiction, through suicide. The teacher also outlined the steps he is taking to remain in remission. Ms Magner set June 3rd as a preliminary date for the reconvening of the inquiry.
RNZ News
16-05-2025
- RNZ News
Onslow College deputy principal on leave as police make inquiries
Onslow College. Photo: Supplied/Google Maps Street View A deputy principal from Onslow College in Wellington is on leave, while the police have confirmed they have received a complaint about a school staff member and are making inquiries. The school told parents it was "undertaking a process" concerning Connor Baird, one of five deputy principals at the college, who is currently on leave. The note to parents, sent on Wednesday morning and signed off by the principal and two board chairs, addressed a recent media query about "rumours circulating in our community relating to Deputy Principal Mr Baird, who is currently on leave". "Onslow College is undertaking a process that ensures the matter is managed respectfully and fairly," it said. But as the process was confidential, it needed to respect the privacy of everyone involved were not able to provide further information, the school statement said. "We kindly ask our community to avoid speculation, which can have unintended consequences," it said. "The wellbeing of our students, staff and whānau is our highest priority." Wellington Police confirmed to RNZ they were making enquiries after receiving a complaint relating to an Onslow College staff member. "We are working to determine if any criminal offending has taken place." The teaching council registration database shows Baird has "voluntarily agreed not to teach". It told RNZ: "When there are serious allegations made regarding a teacher's conduct, the Teaching Council's Triage Committee may seek a voluntary agreement with the teacher to step away from teaching while the matter is investigated to ensure a fair and transparent process." It should be seen as a precautionary measure without any implication or assumption of guilt, it said. "In general, the Teaching Council does not comment on complaints or Mandatory Reports that have been made to the Council (including confirming whether one has recently or previously been received in relation to a specific teacher, ECE centre, school or Kura). This is to ensure we act in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and the principles of natural justice." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
