December 13, 2017
Boost for Maori teacher supply
The Government is to spend $9.5 million to get more te reo Maori and Maori medium teachers into classrooms.
Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis says the one-off teacher supply package was in response to principals who say the shortage of such teachers limits schools’ ability to fully support Maori students and restricts options for parents wanting their children to learn through the Maori language.
The package includes extending the Voluntary Bonding Scheme, which now covers just decile one and remote schools, to include te reo and Maori medium teachers.
Another 35 places for Maori will be added to the Teach First NZ programme and there is extra funding for the Teacher Education Refresh programme which gets experienced teachers back into the classroom.
Mr Davis says Maori students do much better when education reflects and values their identity, language and culture, whether this is in Maori or English medium schools.
Building the number of teachers who can teach te reo Maori is an important first step towards the Government’s commitment to a future where New Zealanders from every background have the opportunity to learn to use te reo Maori in everyday conversations.
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