160 to miss job cut

Press, 25 May 1989, Page 1

160 to miss job cut

DAVID CLARKSON and JENNY LONG

By

The 350 Education Department and Canterbury Education Board staff in Christchurch heard yesterday that at least 160 jobs would remain in the city when education administration was restructured from October 1. In national restructuring, 2078 jobs have been decided on, 1300 fewer than the present staffing of the department and the education boards. But the Director-General of Education, Mr Russ Ballard, said it was too early to speculate on how many jobs might be lost. The jobs shown in new organisations, or confirmed in existing ones, did not include tertiary education administration and training, some areas of early childhood education where Government decisions were still to be made, and staff for Education Service Centres, he said. The staffing levels in the new structure were given to the employees at meetings yesterday. The main new organisations are the Ministry of Education, the Education Review and Audit Agency, the Special Education Service, and the Early Childhood Development Unit. The figures announced for Christchurch give a total of 160 positions. The Ministry of Education will have a district office in Christchurch with 24 staff, a Review and Audit Agency district office with 60 staff, an Early Childhood Education Development Unit field staff of eight, and a Special Education Service office staff of 68. The Government plan also includes the setting up of private education service centres, which would carry out many of the servicing functions such as salary or transport which had been done by the Education Boards, which will go out of existence on October 1.

Some support staff now employed by the Government are expected to transfer to these centres, but are waiting to hear how much Government funding will be supplied. Yesterday’s meeting in Christchurch also involved the staff of the Secondary Schools Council.