Government moves to sideline teachers' voice

11 February 2015

The Government has once again shown its disregard for the teaching profession by pushing through legislation removing democratically elected teachers from their own professional body.

The Education Amendment Bill, which had its 3rd reading in the House last night, replaces the Teachers Council with a new body, EDUCANZ and removes the right of teachers to vote for representation on the new board. Instead, the Minister of Education will appoint all members.

NZEI National President Louise Green says that this is another attempt to reduce the influence that teachers have on decisions affecting their daily practice.

She says teachers have particular concerns around the introduction of a Code of Conduct which could effectively gag their ability to speak out and advocate for children.

“This is not about improving education for children, this is about trying to remove the professional voice from teaching.

Louise Green says that despite this latest move, teachers will continue to speak out against policies that undermine our public education system.

“Teachers are not state servants, we are public servants. We have commitments to learners, families and society under our Code of Ethics. This means we have a responsibility to advocate for the right of all children to have a great education.

"Parents need to ask why the Government is targeting the teaching profession in a way that it wouldn’t dare target doctors, accountants or lawyers."

ends

© Scoop Media