Call for unity ahead of education mega-strike

University of Canterbury School of Teacher Education academics, Associate Professor Misty Sato and Lecturer Des Breeze, discuss the upcoming teachers strike:

Primary, intermediate and secondary school teachers are striking together for the first time (on Wednesday 29 May). The unresolved issues which have led to this action centre on better working conditions and better salaries for teachers. The NZEI and PPTA have argued that the physical and emotional toll of practicing as a teacher in the current environment is not sustainable.

The government, for its part, seems to agree that the sector has been underfunded for some time and that this has had an impact on the teaching workforce. They favour a staged approach to the restoration of funding to the sector.

The School of Teacher Education looks forward to a resolution of this dispute that affirms the mana of all parties. Relationships within the education sector have never been more important. We are all in a process of moving from a stakeholder model of participation in education to a partnership model. The Teaching Council’s new requirements for initial teacher education program approval support the development of sustained, authentic partnerships between schools, early childhood centres, kura, and initial teacher education programs. These authentic partnerships will be founded on a number of key principles including trust, respect, reciprocity, and mutual empowerment.

As we prepare future teachers to work in the New Zealand education system, we must all understand how the working conditions of teachers are essential to how teachers become partners in the preparation of the next generation of teachers. Teacher education is inextricably connected to the work of teachers. Our collective success as an education system depends on creating space for teachers to engage in the work of mentoring pre-service and beginning teachers in partnership with teacher education programs. Do the current working conditions of teachers allow for this to happen in meaningful ways? As we work towards realising the vision for education in New Zealand we should reflect on the fact that teachers and teacher educators are all in this together.