ACT announces latest plan to undermine public education

2 September 2017

The latest ACT Party education policy, announced today, is a transparent attempt to undermine public education, teachers and unions that's straight out of the party's playbook, NZEI Te Riu Roa says.

"For the Under Secretary of Education, David Seymour is staggeringly out of touch with what teachers say matters to them and what public schools need to provide children with the best education in the world," NZEI Te Riu Roa president Lynda Stuart said.

"This is straight out of Act's playbook - undermine public education, undermine teachers, and undermine unions. It'd be laughable, if the Government hadn't given Mr Seymour a high-paying undersecretary role and millions to waste on charter schools.

"Mr Seymour seems unaware of the huge work that's underway on developing a career framework for teachers. This is what they want, not for some teachers to be singled out for higher pay.

"This is also what works in the most successful education systems overseas, whose Governments work with teacher unions to build workforce capability, not against them.

"However, it is good to see ACT acknowledging that teachers need to be paid more. But with teacher workload growing, along with a teacher shortage, all teachers need a pay rise, not just some," Ms Stuart said.

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