Contrary to popular belief, an increasing number of qualified Indian teachers, who meet the system requirements in New Zealand, are in the teaching profession, Education Minister Hekia Parata has said.
“We have a world-class education system and I am happy that more and more people of varied ethnicity are beginning to meet the standards required by us in New Zealand. I am also happy that many Indians are taking up to teaching,” she said, speaking to Indian Newslink during an interview.
Honing skills
She said that while teachers of Indian origin are strong in their subjects, some of them need to improve their communication skills and the ability to teach in the New Zealand environment.
Many Indians who have become successful teachers in New Zealand schools after completing the necessary re-qualification process, improving their English language speaking and writing skills have told this newspaper that those found unfit to teach often have an attitude problem.
“They should understand the cultural and other differences between India and New Zealand, the approach to education and the need to allow students to be self-driven and self-motivated. Education in New Zealand is seen as a lifelong learning process and rote-learning is not in practice,” an Indian woman, who recently qualified to become a teacher, said.
Mrs Parata said that good quality teachers will always be in demand and that the country would need at least 12,000 new teachers over the next four to five years.
“The New Zealand Teachers Council is a professional organisation that registers teachers based on their qualifications, experience and a number of other factors. The process is credible and non-discriminatory, based purely on maintaining and lifting the standard of teaching and learning in New Zealand,” she said.
Registered Teachers
According to the Council’s website, teacher registration signals a person’s official membership of the teaching profession.
“Registration is one of the main ways that employers, colleagues, learners and the wider community can be assured that a teacher is qualified, safe and competent. There are different categories of registration to show how recently a teacher has met the Registered Teacher criteria or whether they are yet to meet them. When you achieve registration, it assures future employers, parents and the public that you are satisfactorily trained, of good character and fit to be a teacher,” the website said.
Reducing dropouts
Mrs Parata said that she faced the challenge of ensuring higher literacy levels for the nation as a whole, with a special emphasis on Maori and Pacific Islanders.
She said that a recent report showed that the number of students achieving NCEA Level 2 was on the increase and that the share of Maori and Pasifika students was also improving.
According to the NCEA 2012 results, 68% of 16-year-old students had achieved Level 2, accounting for an increase of 2% over the previous year.
“The results showed 3.5% increase in Pasifika achievement with 52.5% of 16 year-old Pasifika students achieving NCEA Level 2 last year, up from 49% in 2011. That means 3054 of 5820 Pasifika 16 years-old students who started the 2012 school year had achieved NCEA Level 2 by the end of that year.
“The results also show 2% increase in Maori achievement with 54% of 16 year-old students achieving NCEA Level 2 last year, up from 52% in 2011. That means 5857 of the 10,841 16 year-old Māori students who started the 2012 school year had achieved NCEA Level 2 by the end of the year,” Mrs Parata said.
She believes that quality of teaching makes a difference and the strength of engagement between schools and their parent community spells education success.
Making sure each and every child gets a good education is the most important thing our Government can do to raise living standards and create a more productive and competitive economy for all New Zealanders, she said.
The Target
The Government has sent a ‘Public Service Target 2017,’ reaching which will see 85% of 18-year-old students achieving NCEA or equivalent qualification by that year.
“We have set the target for all 18-year-old students, because we want to capture everyone, including those students who have not achieved in school but gained in another learning environment suitable to them. The foundation qualification which opens doors to a brighter and better future needs to be in place by the time our children turn 18. We are serious about raising achievement for all our children,” Mrs Parata said.
