Strategic Investment In Education Needed

Media Release
May 26th, 2009
From NZEI Te Riu Roa
For immediate use

Budget Needs To Deliver Strategic Investment In Education

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa will be looking for clear signs in Thursday’s Budget that the government is prepared to make a strategic investment in teaching and learning.

In the lead up to the Budget, and in the current economic climate, the government has been strongly pushing a message of fiscal constraint.

NZEI, which represents 49,000 people working in education, says education should be seen as an investment, not a cost. Schools are facing an uphill battle to make ends meet and need a meaningful increase in their operational funding if they are to deliver the quality education New Zealand children deserve.

There is also no evidence that locking workers into a wage freeze, as the government is currently trying to do with low paid frontline school support staff, is a sensible or responsible response to the economic recession.

NZEI National Secretary Paul Goulter says it locks workers and the economy into a downward spiral by further reducing any level of disposable income.

“At the heart of education are people. We won’t get the best quality learning for our children if people such as teacher aides, librarians and administrators are not valued for the roles they play. School support staff need a fair deal not a zero increase on $12.94 an hour,” he says.

NZEI will also be looking for a strategic investment in early childhood education to ensure there is funding available to maintain pay parity in the early childhood sector.

“Research shows that quality early childhood education is a key factor in lifting children’s achievement. Ensuring we keep our quality teachers by paying them properly is an investment in children’s future,” says Paul Goulter.

It would be disappointing to see any cuts to tertiary education which would impact on teacher education. The recruitment and retention of teachers should be a key focus of any education investment strategy.

ENDS

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