Categories: News

Primary teaching job shortages not mirrored in secondary schools

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-1667" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2015&sol;08&sol;SND18-wk1-Primary&lowbar;job&lowbar;shortages-PPTA&lowbar;logo&lowbar;300x225&period;jpg" alt&equals;"SND18-wk1-Primary job shortages-PPTA logo 300x225" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"225" &sol;>A survey from March 2015 shows that secondary schools are finding it difficult to recruit teachers for many positions&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The experience in secondary schools is very different from that in primary with regards to recruitment of teachers&comma;&&num;8221&semi; PPTA president Angela Roberts said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;While many teachers in the primary sector are finding it difficult to get secure jobs&comma; in secondary schools the number of job ads has been climbing in recent years&comma; and it is increasingly hard to recruit teachers in the sciences&comma; maths&comma; technology and Te Reo Maori&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>A 2014 Ministry of Education report on teacher supply noted 47 per cent of secondary teaching jobs were re-advertised&comma; while the figure in primary is 22 per cent&period; This was an increase from 2013&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The PPTA survey also showed the proportion of teachers leaving to take up non-teaching jobs has been increasing in recent years&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;As teachers&&num;8217&semi; salaries have been growing at a rate slower than inflation and significantly slower than many other professions&comma; it&&num;8217&semi;s understandable that other career options look more attractive&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Ms Roberts said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Secondary teachers often have qualifications and skills that are readily transferable to other areas of the workforce&period; It&&num;8217&semi;s a real shame to be losing teachers from the profession in these crucial subjects&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Secondary schools also report a growing trend of employing teachers in areas other than their specialist subject&comma; and one in nine schools surveyed had to cancel classes or use distance learning to deliver a subject because a suitable teacher could not be found&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;Students at secondary schools need to be able to access specialist teachers in a wide range of subjects to enable them to prepare for life as confident&comma; capable and productive citizens&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Ms Roberts said&period; &&num;8220&semi;Ensuring that teaching is an attractive career and that we recruit and retain teachers in all areas should be a number-one priority for the government&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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