by Keith Stewart


Minister of Education, Hekia Parata believes that she can inspire teachers by increasing their workload and threatenting to undermine their already substandard income. If he plans for education did not carry such serious consequences as a decline in teacher morale and worse outcomes for out kids and our country, her statements this week would be laughable.


All of the conversation about increasing the size of classes this week has been around the potential to give teachers performance pay. What about giving them performance pay for what they are doing already, which is delivering education that is up there with the best in the world.


Yet when you look at the numbers, New Zealand teachers are the most underpaid in the OECD. Parata claims that she wants to improve the quality of teachers, but she has not matched that claim with a determination to pay them more.


In Finland, which most informed opinion has it is the most successful education system in the world, teachers get paid, on average, 61% of the salary of a doctor. That is pretty much the same as Australia, which pays its teachers 62% what its teachers earn. In the United Kingdom, which is recognised as a struggler in the education field, teachers get paid just 54% of doctors.


But in New Zealand teachers get just 36% of doctors average incomes.


If we want to be as good as the best, there are a couple of other things we could do to match reasons for Finland's remarkable education success. We could do away with silly testing. Finnish schools test their children just once in their first 9 years of education.


We could also get rid of those private schools that bludge profits off the system and undermine everybody else. Tuition fees are banned in Finland.


We could also give teachers more space in which to operate. Teachers in Finland teach no more than 16 hours a week.


We could also treate outr children like precious commodities and give them their due. Like free universal daycare like they do in Finland. Like totally state funded education, with school meals, books and materials all paid for.


We could, if we wanted, make teaching such a resepected profession in this country that only 10% of applicants for teacher training are actuually accepted. The best 10%.


That, Hekia, is how you improve the quality of your teachers. You start by treating them with respect, you give them a fair salary, and you encourage their professional development.


Oh, and before you slither off to Treasury for the bean counters' views, Hekia, consider that Finland's  education budget is 30% less than it is in the United States.


It's not about the money, its about encouraging professionals to be professional.