Principals plot to infiltrate Teachers Council

By STUART DYE

Principals are planning to hijack the much-maligned Teachers Council in a bid to overturn a "culture of distrust" they say the organisation has bred.

The council - a Government watchdog for the teaching profession - has called for a new competence review team to assess and deal with complaints.

The Secondary Principals Association has taken the unusual step of nominating its entire executive for the roles.

Its plan is to gain a foothold in the organisation and make changes from within.

Association acting president Graham Young said the move was an attempt to restore "high trust models of accountability and maintenance of professionalism".

The Teachers Council has been plagued by problems since it replaced the Teachers Registration Board in February 2002.

Its first chairwoman, Kathie Irwin, was fired by Education Minister Trevor Mallard, even though a report cleared her of "double-dipping" by holding down two tertiary teaching jobs at the same time.

Last year, Mr Mallard had to send in a Ministry of Education crisis team to help the council clear 12,000 teacher registrations. Then director Margaret Kouvelis resigned in October last year amid speculation that she had become the scapegoat for the problems.

She reportedly left with a "golden handshake".

Last month, Mr Mallard said the council had failed to perform and three weeks later director Euan Dempsey resigned for health reasons.

Opposition MPs have described the council as a "shambles".

Mr Young said yesterday that the principals association had always opposed the council, which was "thrusting a culture of distrust upon schools".

The disciplinary powers of the council and the mandatory reporting of misconduct and incompetence complaints had been given excessive emphasis, he said.

"Unless this process [competence review] is managed with extreme caution and teachers feel involved and trusted, council activity will lead to a conflict of interests and ultimately professional erosion."