Minister of Education Erica Stanford’s announcement today that she is removing core functions of the NZ Teaching Council and reducing elected members is an attack on the independence of the teaching profession, says NZEI Te Riu Roa.
Principal and a member of NZEI Te Riu Roa governance group, Tute Mila, says the announcement is a clear power grab from the Minister and an attempt to exert direct political control of teachers and teaching.
“To reduce the number of elected members from 7 to three is removing critical teacher voice from the Teaching Council board. That’s a takeover from the Minister.”
“The Teaching Council has been set up as an independent entity because our professional codes and standards are developed by the teaching profession itself. They should not be tweaked and skewed to suit the political whims of any particular government. Moving the teaching code and standards to the Ministry puts the independence of the teaching profession at risk.
“Teachers are here to serve our whānau and tamariki in our communities, not politicians in Wellington. Undermining our professional autonomy to determine what’s best for teaching and learning by attacking the Council ultimately undermines teachers’ ability to first and foremost serve students.”
“Compare other professions in terms of setting standards – lawyers have the Law Society and doctors have the Medical Council. No one would suggest that the Ministry of Justice take over the Law Society, or Health NZ the Medical Council.”
Tute Mila also says that it’s ridiculous for the Minister to quote OECD figures citing a lack of confidence in beginner teachers as a reason to remove initial teacher education from the Teaching Council’s functions.
“No new graduate heading into any profession will say they’re 100% confident in their ability to do every part of their job brilliantly. That’s a straw man argument. And just last year the sector convincingly rejected the Minister’s proposals to move initial teacher education to the Ministry.
“And now the Minister has dropped new curricula on teachers and principals in the past two weeks in a way that will do nothing to boost teacher confidence in her or the Ministry and will only increase teacher workload. “
She said the Minister’s decision would not make it any easier financially for teachers, who traditionally pay their own Teaching Council fees, as the bulk of fees went to the Council’s registration and disciplinary functions which it will maintain under the Minister’s changes.
ENDS