In the lead-up to the Budget, teacher's unions have released a survey showing strong public support for their campaign for better pay, smaller classes and more support for troubled children.
Teacher's unions have released a survey showing strong public support for their campaign for better pay, support and work conditions. Photo: 123RF
The online opinion poll, commissioned by NZEI Te Riu Roa and the PPTA, was carried out by the research firm The Navigators, with polling done at intervals since March last year.
NZEI Vice President Liam Rutherford said 89 percent of people surveyed said more money should be spent on fixing problems in education, than in other areas.
He said 83 percent agreed that primary and secondary teachers needed a pay rise, more than 70 percent said class sizes should be reduced, and about 80 percent agreed teachers were bogged down in administration that was getting in the way of teaching.
Mr Rutherford said 91 percent of people polled around New Zealand said more support was needed for additional needs.
The company says the survey sample of 1013 was nationally representative by age, gender and region with a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.