1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Students are gearing up to return to the classroom. Schools 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: of course, as always lately scrambling to find enough teachers 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: to fill vacant positions. So the question is how many 4 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:11,799 Speaker 1: are we short of? Three hundred and forty six apparently 5 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: full time vacancies and apparently the shortage could get worse 6 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: as the year goes on. So p PTA president Chris 7 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: amber Crumbie joins in, Now, Hello, Chris, how are you? 8 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:23,079 Speaker 1: I thought pay was good? Why are we having such 9 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 1: a shortage these days? 10 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 2: Well, it's an international issue. We know that other jurisdictions 11 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 2: are really struggling to get teachers. You know, New Zealand 12 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 2: teachers are incredibly attractive to overseas jurisdictions. Is heavy, heavy 13 00:00:35,640 --> 00:00:38,239 Speaker 2: advertising campaigns to get New Zealanders to go to Australia, 14 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 2: to the UK, to the Canada and so yeah, it's 15 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:44,599 Speaker 2: getting more and more difficult to have teachers in the clasroom. 16 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:46,239 Speaker 1: What are we short of? What subjects? 17 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 2: So Aaron and Salmon at across the board is the 18 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 2: what sort of has become Unfortunately the traditional hard to 19 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 2: staff sort of masks the technology areas. Tolomley has been 20 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 2: incredibly hard to staff, but across the board, you know, 21 00:01:01,240 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 2: I know have schools, particularly the end of the year, 22 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 2: we'll find out hard to get pe teachers, teachers and 23 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:07,960 Speaker 2: these things that have never really occurred in the past. 24 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: Well, what happens when they can't find a teacher. 25 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 2: So there's a few options available, So one of them 26 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,559 Speaker 2: is canceled the class, canceled the subject. They could bring 27 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 2: in a short term reliever if they can find one again. 28 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 2: You know, it might not be a subject specialist in 29 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:22,760 Speaker 2: that area, but they might about to find someone who 30 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 2: can take the class. There's a few options available, none 31 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 2: of them are as good as having a full time teacher, 32 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 2: proper teacher in the clasroom. 33 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:31,400 Speaker 1: Will they look overseas. 34 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 2: Yes, So overseas recruitment has become really key. Our situation 35 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 2: will be a lot worse if it's not. If it 36 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 2: wasn't for our overseas recruitment. But you have to, as 37 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,319 Speaker 2: I said, we're competing in an international market. So you know, 38 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 2: Australian teachers are in more than New Zealand teachers, you know, 39 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 2: so we're losing teachers over there. We tend to recruit 40 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 2: from the Pacific, from the Philippines, from India, where we 41 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 2: have better terms and conditions than those countries, so it 42 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 2: becomes a bit of a missure cycle. 43 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: Anything the government can do to help. 44 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 2: So you know, absolutely we can. So government could be 45 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 2: looking at increasing our paying conditions and are upcoming cletive agreement. 46 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 2: We know that pay helps keep people in the profession. 47 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 2: We know that we if we want to increase our 48 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 2: literacy and numeracy rates, which we all want, and we 49 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 2: need specialist support and secondary and we need to keep 50 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 2: those specialist English maths teachers, specialist literacy and numeracy teachers 51 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 2: in the in the classroom in schools, and so we 52 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 2: really want to be looking at that as we go 53 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 2: into negotiations this year. 54 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: And of course you guarantee the kids' education. 55 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 2: Well, absolutely we want we needed every young person's country maximize, 56 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 2: every child maximized to their full potential if we want 57 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 2: to deal with the issues we're facing as a nation. 58 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 2: And so we want to make sure we've got the best, 59 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 2: highly tran highly qualified person in front of those young people. 60 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: Chris good Luck. Chris is the POPTA president. 61 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 2: For more from Hither duplessy Ellen Drive listen live to 62 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays or follow 63 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 2: the Podcas asked on iHeartRadio