Teacher shortage alleviated

AUCKLAND: New Zealand teachers coming home from Covidtorn parts of the world have dramatically eased the country’s teacher shortage as the new school year starts this week.

The Ministry of Education said yesterday the number of teaching vacancies in primary and secondary schools dropped by a third from 349 last January to 233 last month.

Secondary Principals’ Association president Deidre Shea said the staffing situation was ‘‘better than it’s been for many years’’ — due to New Zealand teachers not going overseas, many returning and, ironically, jobs teaching overseas pupils that have evaporated because the border remains closed.

‘‘A majority of secondary schools will have reduced their total staff for 2021 because of fewer international students,’’ she said.

Ms Shea said a survey at the end of the year found that 60% of secondary schools were fully staffed for this year.

The other 40% had vacancies mainly in the alwayshardtostaff subjects of te reo Maori, technology, maths, chemistry and physics.

The Education Gazette listed 271 teaching vacancies in schools on February 1, down from 370 on January 23 last year. — The New Zealand Herald