All of the above is true and wont change as long as the current situation remains the same!
Lets add on a few more points of pondering that contribute (IMHO) to this on going saga.
5. New Zealand state education is poorly managed.
6. New Zealand teachers are poorly represented.
7. Negotiations on employment remuneration and working conditions is negotiated too far away from the source of the individual working relationship.
I.E. Government negotiates with Union representatives, rather than empowering the people at the work front where the work actually gets done! ( it's akin to riding a motorcycle from the pillion seat and not actually being in control of the bike, then hiring someone to sit on the front seat to control it for you)
8. Empowerment of the work force should be directed to where the work takes place and to where the value of the work is more accurately understood and contracts should be negotiated at that manager/employee level.
9. Training for employment negotiations should be given to help participants to gain the skills and confidence to carry this out successfully and review the situation on an annual basis. (Unions can be used to assist their members to obtain these skills and lend support to their members, this should be strictly between the union and it's members, the school does not employ the Union, the members do))
10. Schools should be allocated the funds to run their own business according to the performance demonstrated by the individual schools on an annual basis.
11. That school business that is not tangibly deemed to be commercially sensitive to that school should be made transparent for public scrutiny at all times.
12. ERO auditing of schools should be expanded to include school business overall and including as first priority the behaviour of all of the participants in the schools industrial relations performance.
Hopefully then our schools would begin to improve to the point where the education of the pupils can again take presidency over the constantly nagging septic sore of teachers pay and conditions of work!

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