NZEI Te Riu Roa has welcomed the Labour Party’s commitment to fund 1,000 more teacher aides and its pledge towards a simpler, more effective funding system to give them long overdue job security.
“This is a good start, and we’re really pleased. However, further investment is needed to keep pace with the growing number of learners with complex needs, and to achieve our goal of a teacher aide in every classroom,” says Ally Kingi, teacher aide and NZEI Te Riu Roa national member leader.
Ms Kingi says work has already been done on a simpler, more effective funding model that would deliver better job security for teacher aides.
“We expect any new system to build on the work completed by the teacher aide sector reference group in 2022, which had wide sector engagement and agreement. We want to see urgent action on it.”
Ms Kingi notes that improved job security for teacher aides will foster stronger relationships with tamariki and teachers while relieving financial pressure on principals.
“We have fought so hard for central funding so that teacher aides could be funded similarly to their teaching colleagues. We spent three years working on the teacher aide funding review,” she says. “Inconsistent and unpredictable funding currently leaves more than half of teacher aides on insecure fixed-term contracts.”
Learning support funding has failed to keep pace with demand, leaving schools under huge financial pressure.
“Inadequate Ministry of Education funding and a surge in high-needs learners leave schools with difficult choices – using operational budgets, putting off essential repairs, or asking whānau to pay for basic supplies,” adds Ms Kingi.
“We need a cross-party, long-term action plan for learning support, including our specialist workforce, that is built on genuine engagement with educators and whānau, and investment to meet our learners’ needs.”
Through its Platform for Change, NZEI Te Riu Roa is calling for cross-party commitments to fund a teacher aide in every classroom alongside four other priorities:
- Investing in quality early childhood education
- Valuing educators better
- Upholding Te Tiriti in the curriculum and wider education system, and
- Creating an independent Curriculum and Assessment Council.