About 16,000 high school teachers went on strike today. They did not go to school. Instead they held protest marches, and Wellington teachers took their protest to Parliament. However the teachers in Canterbury did not go on strike because school was cancelled last week after the earthquake.
The teachers’ union is called the PPTA – post-primary teachers’ association. Most high school teachers belong to this union. They want a 4% pay rise. The government is offering them 1.5% this year and 1% next year. Teachers say they are nearly at the bottom in pay out of all the 33 countries in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development). They also worry that graduates will not want to become teachers, many teachers will find other jobs and good teachers will move to Australia or USA. The Minister of Education says there is no more money.
However, the PPTA say that this strike is not just about pay. They also want smaller classes. They want a maximum class size of 30, and 24 for practical classes, for example in a science laboratory. They say that the workload is too much – they have to work very long hours. They also want their own lap top computer so that they can do their class preparation and enter marks. They have a long list of changes that are needed to make teaching an attractive profession.
Questions
1. Would you like to be a teacher? Why or why not?
2. Do you think teaching is a hard job? What would make it easier?
3. Do you think teachers should be well paid? Most teachers study at university for four years. Do they get paid as much as other professionals who have a four-year degree?