Ministry addresses teacher shortage
The Ministry of Education is anticipating a staggering 850 teacher vacancies at the start of the 2019 school year, unless efforts to address the shortage are accelerated.
Data released by the Ministry shows that an additional 650 primary and 200 secondary school teachers will be required to meet increased demand; with 45% of positions needed in Auckland.
To fill the gap, the Government has committed an additional $10.5 million in funding to increase recruitment efforts, along with a funding grant encouraging schools to employ more teaching graduates. Increased resource has also been placed on recruiting overseas teachers from the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa, with additional relocation costs of up to $7,000 being covered.
In response to the need for qualified teachers in the education sector, AUT extended its offering of undergraduate education programmes from the start of 2018, with programmes now available at the North and South Campuses.
Teacher education undergraduate programmes available at the AUT South Campus include the Bachelor of Education in primary teaching or early childhood teaching, as well as the Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching.
Find out more about the governments initiatives to address the teacher shortage