John Gerritsen
Medical certificates adding to strain on GPs
GPs are warning that requests for medical certificates from sick workers and students are adding to the strain on general practices.
The Royal New Zealand College of GPs said schools and businesses… Audio
Secondary school principals want to dump PISA testing
Secondary school principals say it's time to dump the OECD's prestigious PISA tests in reading, science and maths.
The Education Ministry has barely managed to scrape together enough schools to do… Audio
Teacher sick days double, schools struggle with finances
Teachers have racked up nearly twice as many sick days as normal, and at some schools it is breaking the bank.
Principals warn their budgets for relief teachers are overspent by thousands of dollars… Audio
Covid-19 surge disrupting learning around NZ
A surge of winter illnesses and Covid-19 among teachers is disrupting learning at schools around the country.
Some are rostering particular year levels home or asking families to keep children away… Audio
Education staff warn behaviour worse due to pandemic
Principals and teachers warn children's behaviour and achievement is worse because of the pandemic.
They say some young people have gaps in their learning and some have missed basic routines and… Audio
Covid-19: Teachers feel angry and unsafe as virus spreads
Some teachers are feeling angry and unsafe as Covid-19 spreads among their classrooms.
They've got in touch to share their experiences following our story about high rates of Covid among school… Audio
Fears for education system as teachers catch Covid-19
Concerns are being raised about how the education system will cope as it's revealed teachers seem to be catching Covid-19 at a higher rate than the rest of the adult population.
Schools have notified… Audio
Some primary schools want winter face mask mandate
Some primary principals want a return to compulsory face mask wearing as they head into the colder months.
Schools' measures for preventing the spread of Covid-19 are being tested as some regions… Audio
'Unfair', 'short-sighted' changes to tertiary funding
Radical changes to funding for tertiary certificates and diplomas are being labelled unfair and could drive some institutes out of business. The government has unveiled funding rates that boost… Audio
Education agents warn students not lining up to come to NZ
Education agents warn that foreign students are not queuing up to return to New Zealand for what used to be a multi-billion dollar industry.
They say this country's handling of the pandemic is not… Audio
Government prepares to welcome foreign students back
The government has backed down on plans to stop primary schools enrolling foreign students.
The announcement in Auckland today is part of plans to rebuild the $5 billion/year international education… Audio
Covid-19: Schools say case numbers inform mask approach
Schools say Covid-19 case numbers will influence their approach to wearing face masks this term.
Some schools are requiring masks indoors to reduce the spread of Covid-19, while many are simply… Audio
Some teens don't know how many minutes in an hour
A trial test of tougher new NCEA standards shows some teens will fail because they don't know how many minutes there are in an hour and don't use capital letters and full stops
The literacy and… Audio
Worker shortage bites as civil construction sector booms
The civil construction industry is not training enough new workers to keep up with the boom in roading and infrastructure projects.
A report by the Civil Workforce Forum and Civil Contractors New… Audio
Covid-19 means teacher payroll error taking longer to fix
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of new teachers have been under-paid since the start of the year.
They are getting $200 to $300 a week less than they should and some are struggling to get by.
It's an… Audio
Covid-19: Thousands sign up for trade training
Trade training is booming with thousands more people signing up for apprenticeships since the pandemic began.
Industry training leaders say apprentice numbers are spiking in some industries… Audio
Schools doubt they can properly ventilate classrooms
Some principals doubt they can properly and adequately ventilate their classrooms to reduce the spread of Covid-19 during winter.
They say leaving doors and windows open is not practical on cold days… Audio
Covid-19: Foreign student intake falls short of demand
It's the biggest intake of foreign students since the borders closed two years ago - but schools and tertiary institutions say it's nowhere near enough.
From Thursday they can start nominating… Audio
Covid-19: Thousands missing school because of Omicron
More than 200,000 children a day have been staying home from school during the height of the Omicron surge.
Education Ministry figures indicate more than 100,000 have been learning from home on some… Audio
Covid-19: Universities facing toughest year yet
Universities are facing their toughest year of the pandemic yet, as both domestic and foreign student enrolments slump.
They say the number of New Zealanders enrolling dropped after spiking last… Audio