NZEI Te Riu Roa is challenging all political parties to back up their rhetoric about tamariki being the future by committing to high-quality early childhood education.
“Both parents and educators recognise that quality early childhood education is critical, given the long-term impact on the development and learning of infants and young children,” Kindergarten teacher and NZEI Te Riu Roa member Mel Burgess said at a rally in Wellington today.
“We call on all political parties to commit to investing in high-quality early childhood education because these formative years lay the crucial foundation for a child’s life. Securing this funding is essential to giving every tamariki the best start and ensuring they thrive.”
Mrs Burgess said qualified teachers and supportive teaching conditions make the biggest difference to the quality of education.
“This means funding to support inclusive learning environments and help with children’s developmental needs. It also means funding for pay parity so we can recruit and retain early childhood teachers.
“Right now, we are heading in the opposite direction. What early childhood education needs is investment, not cuts to pay parity. We need fully qualified teachers, not funding changes that remove incentives to employ them,” Mrs Burgess said.
In its Platform for Change, NZEI Te Riu Roa is calling for cross-party commitments to investment in quality early childhood education. It is also urging parties to deliver four other key actions over the next five years to boost the quality of teaching and learning for tamariki:
- Fund a teacher aide in every class
- Value educators better
- Uphold Te Tiriti in the curriculum and wider education system, and
- Create an independent Curriculum and Assessment Council.