Poll Shows Mallard Out Of Touch
Friday 6 Sep 2002
Revelations that over two-thirds of New Zealanders reject the centralised pay system for secondary teachers shows how
hopelessly out of touch Minister of Education Trevor Mallard is, ACT Education Spokesman Donna Awatere Huata said today.
An NBR poll has found that 70 per cent of people support a system of performance-based pay for secondary teacher's,
while only 21 per cent opposed it.
"The antiquated, centralised pay system that this government has zealously pursued, as well as the Minister's cosy
relationship with the PPTA, has doomed this country to the continued shortage of skilled teachers as well as the
subsidisation of bad teachers.
"This country needs a Minister of Education, not a Minister of Teachers. It is time the government listened to the
people and gave individual communities the ability to pay good teachers more," Mrs Awatere Huata said.
Ends