Hundreds of teachers needed

Maths, science and English critical areas as unfilled posts leave schools unable to plan for 2017

Hundreds of teaching positions are vacant, just two weeks from the end of term. More than 600 teaching posts are waiting to be filled across the country, leaving schools struggling to arrange timetables and classes for 2017.

Almost 200 of those vacancies are in science and maths — key areas that have become increasingly difficult to fill as science, engineering and maths graduates get picked up by high-paying private-sector companies.

The other big need is English teachers.

The news comes as the 2015 Trends in Mathematics and Science Study, released last week, showed New Zealand children performing below the international average in maths.

According to the Education Gazette, the Ministry of Education’s magazine for the sector, there were 745 teaching vacancies across Years 0 to 15 yesterday evening — up by 84 jobs since morning.

More than 250 of those were in Auckland alone, with the city in need of 24 maths teachers, 28 science teachers and 37 English teachers.

There are 73 vacancies for science teachers nationally at the Year 7 to 15 level, and 66 in maths at the same level.

Post Primary Teachers’ Association president Angela Roberts said the supply problem was growing.

“It’s become chronic in so many parts of the country, it’s not just about housing affordability in Queenstown and Auckland. It is about the attractiveness of the job and its comparison to other industries.

“Secondary teachers have a skillset that can take them into things other than teaching.”

Fixing the shortage was about more than just attracting people to the profession, she said. The need was to keep them there.

“We need a commitment to improving pay and conditions for secondary teachers.”

If a secondary school could not fill positions, other teachers often ended up stepping in to teach outside their specialist area, Roberts said.

“We all end up filling the gaps.”

Often schools “compromised” — classes didn’t run, were taught by someone without the specific knowledge, or students had to opt for distance learning or the virtual learning network.

Some of Auckland’s top schools are among those seeking teachers for hard-tofill positions.

Epsom Girls’ Grammar, Mt Roskill Grammar, St Dominic’s Catholic College, Diocesan School for Girls and St Kentigern College are all advertising for science teachers.

Mt Albert Grammar needs a chemistry teacher and two English teachers, as well as a part-time maths and science teacher.

Headmaster Pat Drumm said the chemistry and maths roles were ones he was worried about.

The vacancies came on top of the loss of three science teachers at the school who announced in October they were quitting Auckland because of its unaffordable housing.

All schools were “scrambling” to get science, maths and engineering teachers, Drumm said, adding that the teacher shortage was the first topic of conversation among principals.

“It’s like asking how the weather is, it’s the first thing we ask each other.”

He added: “In a dwindling pool we’re just pinching each other’s teachers, which I think is a short-term fix but a potential disaster in the long term.”