Secondary and area school teachers are continuing their strike action by rostering different year levels of pupils to stay home on various days for the next four weeks.
The ongoing industrial action has been organised by the Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) and will begin this Thursday with year 11 pupils around the country staying home.
Then next Tuesday, year 12 pupils will stay home, followed by year 13 pupils (May 11), year 9 pupils (May 16), year 10 pupils (May 17), year 11 pupils (May 25), year 13 pupils (May 30), year 12 pupils (June 1), year 10 pupils (June 6) and year 9 pupils (June 8).
The PPTA said on the days pupils were rostered home, there would be no lessons for the affected year group and pupils in that year group should stay at home.
Otago Secondary Principals’ Association president and South Otago High School principal Mike Wright said it was "disappointing"
"It’s disappointing that we have to take this action, but in terms of making the teaching profession appealing for graduates to come into, and to also retain teachers, it’s important."
He said there was a worsening shortage of secondary teachers because many were either leaving the country to take higher-paying jobs in Australia, or leaving the profession to take higher-paying jobs in other professions.
The latest string of strike announcements follows the largest teachers strike in history in March, in which an estimated 50,000 kindergarten, primary, secondary and area school teachers, along with primary and area school principals took to the streets, in a bid for better pay and working conditions.
PPTA members are also not attending meetings outside school hours, and will also continue to refuse to give up their scheduled planning and marking time to relieve for absent teachers or positions that are vacant.
PPTA negotiation team member Kieran Gainsford recently said after 11 months of negotiations, no satisfactory progress had been made on some major issues.
"There is a worsening shortage of secondary teachers, and we need salary rates and conditions that will keep teachers in the classroom, attract graduates to choose secondary teaching as a career, and encourage former teachers to return to the job they love."
PPTA and the Ministry of Education have been directed into facilitation, which involves a continuation of negotiations facilitated by a member of the Employment Relations Authority.
