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Education Minister Hekia Parata says one of the tasks of the new Education Council will be to encourage more young Maori and Pasifika people to consider a career in teachng.
Nominations are open for the council, with just five of the nine councillors needing to hold a current practicing certificate.
The teachers’ unions are unhappy an elected body has been replaced with one appointed by the minister.
The Post Primary Teachers Association is considering a boycott, while the primary union NZEI Te Riu Roa will run its own nomination process and challenge the Minister to accept the results.
Ms Parata says the appointment process is rigorous, and while there is no specific Maori representation, the needs of kura and Maori are not being ignored.
"We can infer from the requirement that there is an understanding of the practical application of the Treaty of Waitangi that we will be looking for people who have expertise in Tataiako (Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Maori Learners), who have expertise in understanding te reo me ona tikanga, who have expertise in understanding what attracts young Maori to go into teacher training, become teachers," she says.
FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH HEKIA PARATA CLICK ON THE LINK
https://secure.zeald.com/uma/play_podcast?podlink=MjcwNDc=
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