Despite ongoing negotiations between the Government and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI), the planned teacher strikes on Thursday will go ahead, as union members and the government failed to reach an agreement.
Thousands of teachers across the country are expected to participate in the protests, demanding better pay, support, and working conditions. The first rallies begin at 8 am and will run right across the day.
The strikes are expected to cause widespread disruptions to schools and parents, as many will have to make alternative arrangements for their children.
Pauline Trathen, a teacher at Templeton School in Canterbury and council chair of NZEI Waitaha Canterbury, spoke to Rachel Smalley on Thursday morning to explain what teachers want the Ministry of Education to agree to.
"We want the Ministry to agree that we are facing very complex needs in our schools," Trathen said.
"Complex needs are not students that have learning disabilities, they're kids with additional needs, and we don't have the funding, resourcing or the manpower to be able to meet the needs of those students as well as teach the other tamariki in our classrooms."
When asked if these issues were being discussed in negotiations, Trathen explained that the sticking point was the cost. "To put more learning assistants in classrooms, it costs money. To put more learning support workers in the ministry offices, it costs money, but they're necessary," she said.
Trathen also highlighted the toll that teaching can take on teachers, as they are often left to deal with violent incidents in schools without adequate support. "It takes a toll on us. We know no child wants to feel that way," she said.
Listen to the full interview between Pauline Trathen and Rachel Smalley above.
You can also download the full interview on the First Light podcast, and listen on the go.
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