Photo:LAWRENCE SMTH

TEACHER ANGER: The President of NZAIMS, Gary Sweeney, outlines possible action schools will be taking following their discussions with Education Minister Hekia Parata yesterday.

Education minister heckled by teachers

The New Zealand Association of Intermediate and Middle Schooling is demanding a moratorium be put in place to stop staffing cuts to front line teaching staff.

President of the NZAIM, Gary Sweeney, said this afternoon the organisation would ask all member schools to stop working with Ministry of Education initiatives until a “working relationship” with the Ministry could be restored.

He called on Education Minister Hekia Parata to put plans to cut staffing levels on hold and work with teachers to examine teaching and learning needs of New Zealand children.

Sweeney said the Ministry of Education has “broken its relationship” with intermediate and primary schools through “savagely attacking staffing levels”.

In last week’s Budget announcement, the Government said it hoped to save $43 million by increasing class sizes and improving teacher quality.

About 245 schools initially stood to lose between one and seven teachers.

The Government backed down this week after outrage from teachers and said no more than two full-time teaching staff would be lost at any school in the next three years.