28 June 2005
Reward teaching excellence - ACT
Deborah Coddington Tuesday, 28 June 2005 Press Releases - Education
Paying teachers what they are worth is the first step to improving teaching standards in New Zealand, ACT Education
spokesman Deborah Coddington said today.
The MP was responding to a new Colmar Brunton survey of 1,000 parents, which shows 72% believe teachers who work the
hardest and produce the best results should be paid more. It also found that 70% think that if teachers were paid
according to their performance, standards would rise.
“The Labour Government and its mates in the teachers’ unions believe that teachers should be paid based on seniority,
and not by results. That’s wrong because it encourages mediocrity,” Miss Coddington said.
“We need to professionalise teaching and stop the remuneration system that sees teachers paid regardless of whether they
are achieving results.
“ACT believes the level of teacher salaries should be determined by the performance of each individual teacher in his or
her classroom.
“Under Labour, the only time teachers get a pay rise is when they threaten strike action in election year.
“ACT would recognise merit and excellence in teaching by allowing schools the freedom to pay good teachers more. This
would make a real difference in attracting and retaining high-quality teachers.
“Teachers, parents and, most importantly, students would all be winners under ACT’s plan to reward excellence in
education,” Miss Coddington said.
ENDS