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<p>NZEI Te Riu Roa revealed that it has analysed new Government data showing a 34 percent decrease in the available pool of day relief teachers in primary schools between 2012 and 2021.</p>
<p>This decrease was felt across the country, with Waikato and Wellington experiencing the biggest regional declines of 40 percent.</p>
<p>Winter illnesses and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic meant many schools resorted to blending classrooms, remote learning or closing for a few days last term because they could not secure relief teachers.</p>
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<p>Relievers are in high demand but in short supply right now and it’s putting a lot of pressure on everyone,” said Mark Potter, the principal of Berhampore School in Wellington and vice president of NZEI Te Riu Roa.</p>
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<p>The pandemic, however, has only exacerbated long-standing problems facing primary schools, according to Mr Potter.</p>
<p>NZEI Te Riu Roa is currently campaigning for an in-depth review of the relieving workforce, however, president Liam Rutherford is concerned about the lack of immediate solutions being offered by the Ministry of Education.</p>
<p>“The education sector could not function without relievers,” he said.</p>
<p>They are an integral part of the day-to-day running of schools and faced with this ongoing shortage of relief teachers, schools are reluctantly scheduling learning from home days &#8212; which places additional pressure on whanau &#8212; to work around staff illnesses.</p>
<p>“Ultimately our tamariki are suffering.”</p>
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