Initial Teacher Education 2040
Initial Teacher Education (ITE) plays a vital role in our education system, preparing future teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to begin teaching.
The Asks
We need systemic change with a clear pathway towards staffing levels that allow teachers to support every child to reach their potential. This means:
- More sustainable classroom ratios and increased classroom release time to ensure teachers are equipped to be at their best.
- Increased funding for specialised support staff, including teacher aides and kaiārahi i te reo.
- An increased base of the Māori Immersion Teaching Allowance (MITA) and a matched allowance for Pasifika teachers.
- Increased management staffing entitlement with a guaranteed miniumum of 0.5FTE professional leadership staffing.
About the report
National monitoring standards show that many students are falling behind in key areas by the time they reach Year 8. Reported percentages of students falling behind in different subject areas:
- 81% in science
- 65% in writing
- 62% in social studies
- 59% in mathematics
- 49% in health and PE
- 41% in reading
We’re letting our Māori and Pasifika communities down
There are strong feelings that the education system is racist and not geared to deliver for Māori or Pasifika children. Teachers and support staff are battling to preserve and encourage cultural education under ever-increasing time pressures and administrative burdens. Support in this space is needed.
