A scholarship, Aspire, has been established for students from low to medium income families who would like to attend a private (not integrated) secondary school. Applications are to be sent to the Ministry of Education by 17 May 2010.
The scholarship is for $15,000 per year with up to $1,500 per year for course related costs. The scholarship does not cover boarding fees. There are 50 scholarships available for 2011 year 9 students and over 20 scholarships for 2011 year 10 students.
This is outrageous and it is at a time when schools are being told that there is no additional funding for anything. It is also appalling that it is being promoted by the Ministry of Education.
This scholarship is a way of enticing bright students from lower income homes away from state schools as you can be sure that they will not be taking the academically or behaviorally challenged.
This government has already increased private school funding by $35 million. I think it is vital that PPTA branches recommend that the National Executive expose this new initiative and fight to get it stopped. Sending large numbers of emails to the Minister of Education would also be helpful.
You can request futher information about Aspire from: aspire.scholarship@minedu.govt.nz
Let us do something about this issue. As a union we must stand up for Free, Quality State Education for all.
Adaire Hannah
Wellington High School PPTA Branch
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
We understand that the Tertiary Education Commission had $46 million unspent at the end of 2009. Adult and Community Education funding, $16 million per annum, was cut in 2009 supposedly because of financial priorities.
The unspent TEC money would have fully funded Adult and Community Education for almost three years. The Government's decision to cut Adult and Community Education was not about its financial priorities but about its political priorities of user pays.
Adaire Hannah
Wellington High School PPTA branch
The unspent TEC money would have fully funded Adult and Community Education for almost three years. The Government's decision to cut Adult and Community Education was not about its financial priorities but about its political priorities of user pays.
Adaire Hannah
Wellington High School PPTA branch
Monday, March 22, 2010
Pay Parity for Part Time Teachers
If you believe in equal pay for equal work, then you need to insist that part timers get pay parity in the next pay claim. This means that their paid for non contact hours (1 hour for every 4 hours of teaching time) are included as part of the settlement, and are paid for by the Ministry out of the general salaries account.
So, what non contact time are part time teachers currently entitled to? According to the current contract, all part time teachers get an 11% loading on their teaching time to compensate them for any extra duties they need to perform as part of their job. This is the equivalent to 1 hour of non contact time for every 9 teaching hours. This is what the ministry pays for. Schools also need to "endeavour" to provide additional hours so that these teachers do have pay parity. This time allowance is not guaranteed. It is up to inidividual schools. The key word here is "endeavour".
Any time allowance that schools do decide to give must come out of the schools operating account, not from the Ministry. This is not fair on the school's principal, Board of Trustees, teachers or students. In these tight economic times it is completely within the schools rights for prinicipals to say to part time teachers, "Sorry, we just can't afford to pay you for the extra non contact time you need to give you pay parity with other teachers."
The current 11% loading provisions hark back to the times before full time teachers gained 5 guaranteed non contact hours. Back in the days when teachers would regularly teach 22 hours a week. And at that time the 11% loading was fair. It isn't now.
To put this into perspective, if a school is not providing the additional non contact time out of their own pocket then a part time teacher who teaches 16 hours a week gets paid 71% of a full time salary despite teaching 80% of a full time teaching load. Where is the equity in that?
Additional non contact time for part time teachers needs to be included in the contract as a right, as proposed by the working group that the Ministry set up over 4 years ago, and then conveniently decided to ignore. It shouldn't be left up to individual schools to decide. And individual schools should not have to find the money for this out of their own pockets.
At least the current contract removed the loop hole where schools could employ a teacher part time for 21 teaching hours and pay them 93% of a full time salary!
Sharon Henry
Wellington High School PPTA member
So, what non contact time are part time teachers currently entitled to? According to the current contract, all part time teachers get an 11% loading on their teaching time to compensate them for any extra duties they need to perform as part of their job. This is the equivalent to 1 hour of non contact time for every 9 teaching hours. This is what the ministry pays for. Schools also need to "endeavour" to provide additional hours so that these teachers do have pay parity. This time allowance is not guaranteed. It is up to inidividual schools. The key word here is "endeavour".
Any time allowance that schools do decide to give must come out of the schools operating account, not from the Ministry. This is not fair on the school's principal, Board of Trustees, teachers or students. In these tight economic times it is completely within the schools rights for prinicipals to say to part time teachers, "Sorry, we just can't afford to pay you for the extra non contact time you need to give you pay parity with other teachers."
The current 11% loading provisions hark back to the times before full time teachers gained 5 guaranteed non contact hours. Back in the days when teachers would regularly teach 22 hours a week. And at that time the 11% loading was fair. It isn't now.
To put this into perspective, if a school is not providing the additional non contact time out of their own pocket then a part time teacher who teaches 16 hours a week gets paid 71% of a full time salary despite teaching 80% of a full time teaching load. Where is the equity in that?
Additional non contact time for part time teachers needs to be included in the contract as a right, as proposed by the working group that the Ministry set up over 4 years ago, and then conveniently decided to ignore. It shouldn't be left up to individual schools to decide. And individual schools should not have to find the money for this out of their own pockets.
At least the current contract removed the loop hole where schools could employ a teacher part time for 21 teaching hours and pay them 93% of a full time salary!
Sharon Henry
Wellington High School PPTA member
The current pay rates and conditions of secondary teachers are not significantly enhanced by the 2010 Claim. To attract and retain quality teachers pay and conditions need to be significantly improved or the state education sector will decline. This is already happening in countries like the USA. Employers, CEO s and Govt argue that their substantial remuneration packages are necessary to attract and retain the best person for the job. The same argument carries for teachers etc.
By arguing this I am not saying that we, teachers, want to get ahead at the expense of the other sectors of the workforce because we are more deserving. PPTA members need to support other workers seeking improved pay and conditions or fighting against layoffs. One of the best supports we, as union members, can give to other workers or unemployed is to build a climate of militancy. Such a climate would give other sectors of the workforce the confidence to fight for their real needs.
Adaire Hannah, Wellington High School PPTA branch
By arguing this I am not saying that we, teachers, want to get ahead at the expense of the other sectors of the workforce because we are more deserving. PPTA members need to support other workers seeking improved pay and conditions or fighting against layoffs. One of the best supports we, as union members, can give to other workers or unemployed is to build a climate of militancy. Such a climate would give other sectors of the workforce the confidence to fight for their real needs.
Adaire Hannah, Wellington High School PPTA branch
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