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Download AudioMore than 30,000 primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers are on strike today after rejecting Education Ministry offers on their collective contracts.
NZEI Te Riu Roa executive member Raewyn Himona says they’re striking because the education system is in crisis, with under-staffing and under-resourcing of schools across the sector.
“We want smaller class sizes. We need them. We’ve got a huge amount a huge amount of diverse needs with our tamariki, our akonga, and our communities. In secondary schools, there is a huge amount of pastoral care on top of all the academic stuff so it’s time to teach, time to lead, time to give the extra support,” she says.
Ms Himona says teachers also want pay equity throughout the whole sector, from early childhood to secondary.
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