By Greg Bouwer on J-Wire…
New Zealand’s largest secondary teachers’ union has come under fire after revelations that “Palestine” topped the agenda for a meeting it sought with the Government — ahead of discussions on education policy, curriculum, or pay negotiations.
Minister for Public Service Judith Collins made the claim in an open letter to New Zealanders on Sunday, saying the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) asked to raise the issue of “Palestine” as its first discussion point during a meeting with Education Minister Erica Stanford earlier this month.
“The number one item on their agenda… was Palestine. Not terms and conditions. Not student achievement. Not the new curriculum. Palestine,” Collins wrote. She described the move as evidence that the teachers’ union’s planned strike this week — one of the largest in New Zealand history — was “politically motivated.”
The strike, scheduled for Thursday, involves more than 21,000 secondary school teachers and coincides with industrial action by nurses, senior doctors and dentists.
Read the full story on J-Wire HERE.
And read Greg Bouwer’s opinion piece – Education, Not Indoctrination: Why Teachers’ Unions Should Stay Out of Foreign Politics – on the Israel Institute of NZ website HERE.
Read Judith Collins open letter HERE, and read Stuff’s article on the PPTA’s response HERE.
