September 19th, 2024
The largest education union in Aotearoa, NZEI Te Riu Roa, expressed disappointment over this year’s Budget, citing a lack of investment in primary education for the second consecutive year. This frustration is being voiced amidst ongoing intense industrial action concerning long-term issues in the education sector.
This year's budget failed to align school funding with the Consumer Price Index (CPI), and there were no new investments in teacher salaries, additional teacher staffing, or specialist staff. The budget includes a mere 3.5% increase in operational grant funding, falling significantly short of the CPI of 6.7%.
NZEI Te Riu Roa President Mark Potter found the Budget's response to issues caused by years of under-investment in primary education deeply disappointing. He emphasised the need for a budget that addresses staffing, workload relief, and decent pay, according to an NZEI Te Riu Roa media release.
"As a society, we will be in bigger debt if we don't invest in our tamariki and their teachers," Potter warned.
Tute Mila, the Principal of Arakura School in Wainuiomata, echoed these sentiments. She expressed concern that the slight increase in operations grant funding will not alleviate the financial constraints schools face in their day-to-day operations, including payment for teacher aides and administrative staff.
"This small increase means insecure work will still be a reality for those staff crucial to supporting the diverse learning needs of tamariki in the classroom—and the staff that do the mahi to make sure a school is run smoothly," said Mila.
Despite the disappointment, Mila was glad to see the continuation of the school lunch programme in the Budget. However, she voiced her disappointment in the lack of commitment to expand this programme to other schools.
Potter also acknowledged the positive aspects of the Budget, such as the further investment in Māori medium education towards funding for Māori-led education programmes and infrastructure improvements. However, he stressed that the progress made in the past years through union action, such as pay equity and curriculum reform, should not slow down.
"We urge the Government to finish the job," he added.
This reaction from NZEI comes as primary and area school teachers and principals have gone almost a year without settled collective agreements. While kindergarten teachers voted last week to settle their collective agreements, primary teachers rejected their third offer and are currently voting on whether to take further industrial action. Primary principals are also in the midst of a work ban.