Education Review Office set to cut 13 jobs, union says

By RNZ

The Education Review Office is set to cut 13 jobs, the Public Service Association says.

Meanwhile, 44 staff have accepted offers of voluntary redundancy at the Ministry for the Environment.

ERO was directed to slash 6.5 per cent of its spending amid wider public sector cuts. It has proposed to disestablish 25 roles and create 12 new ones, it said on Friday.

The roles being disestablished included review officers who assessed how well school and early childhood centres were educating children, PSA assistant secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said.

“We all know that the education system is facing a huge challenge to ensure students are achieving at the level they should be, so why cut the very agency charged with driving up quality?”

The Government was sending mixed messages, she said.

“On the one hand, it says lifting achievement is its number one education priority, yet it has forced the Ministry of Education to shed 755 jobs, cut 35 roles at the New Zealand Qualification Authority and 28 at the Tertiary Education Commission. And now ERO.

“This just doesn’t add up.”

The office employs about 250 staff, according to its website.

ERO has been approached for comment.

Ministry for the Environment

The ministry called for voluntary redundancies last month to help meet its target of reducing costs by 7.5 per cent.

And more were on the cards, it said.

“There will be a second invitation to express an interest in voluntary redundancy following the release of a formal change proposal, likely in early June,” a spokesperson said.

“We won’t know how many other staff may be affected until the Government finalises Budget 2024 on 30 May. We will then seek feedback from staff on a proposal to reduce the organisation in size.”

– RNZ