NZSTA: Prospect of Greater Self-Governance For Teachers

NZSTA Welcomes the Prospect of Greater Self-governance For the Teaching Profession  

NZSTA President Lorraine Kerr has today welcomed Minister Parata’s announcement of the next phase of consultation on transforming the New Zealand Teachers Council into a 21st century professional body.

NZSTA has taken an active interest in the review of the Teachers’ Council, and strongly supports the general direction of changes being suggested.

“Boards of trustees and parents all know that excellent teachers are an important key to improving student outcomes,” Lorraine said. “And we want to see the system work in a way that ensures we not only recruit the best possible people into teacher training, but also deliver graduates that are outstandingly good.”

Part of what that system needs is a strong and independent professional body, along the same lines as other professions have, which not only establishes and maintains robust processes and high standards regarding teacher quality, but is equally fearless in removing teachers where that standard is breached.

“While the Teachers’ Council does good work within its current brief, it has been set up as a statutory body rather than a professional body, and is not subject to the high expectations and accountabilities that are the hallmarks of most professions” says Lorraine.

NZSTA considers the appointment of Dr Graham Stoop to head the Ministerial Advisory Group will bring a useful perspective on balancing the government’s interest in driving these changes with the need to develop a genuine sense of independence and self-governance for teaching in New Zealand.

It’s critical for boards of trustees to be able to have confidence in the quality of the teaching staff they employ as the quality of the NZ education system ultimately depends on the quality of its teachers. Lorraine says that the success of this transformation process will depend on teacher groups and other sector stakeholders, including government, stepping up to support it in a mature and collaborative fashion. “It’s not always how it works in education, but it happens more often than some people might think, and we do all have the maturity and the skills to work that way when it counts” she says. “This is one of those times.”

ENDS

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