Trevor Mallard

By Maggie Tait of NZPA

Wellington, Nov 25 NZPA - Education experts would be left in limbo for six months because the government was not renewing contracts until mid-next year, MPs were told today.

In the May budget the Government said teaching support for art, science and physical education would be axed from next year with the focus going onto literacy and maths.

Labour MP Trevor Mallard said the professional development experts, who were employed mainly at universities and contracted to do the work for schools, still did not know their future.

When Education Ministry chief executive Karen Sewell appeared before Parliament's education and science select committee today, he suggested to her that many experts were looking for jobs offshore.

Decisions were made in March and announced in the May budget but contract decisions were not being made.

"People still do not know if the contracts are going to be in place for next calendar year."

Tenders for new professional development contracts would start early next year and winners would operate from July 1.

"We've got hundreds of people who are employed through universities, and some other private contractors, to do professional development who have a gap in their employment between January and July," Mr Mallard said.

"And you expect them to hang around at no pay for that time? You expect universities to carry their salaries for six months because the minister's made a decision to take 25 percent out of the budget?"

Ms Sewell accepted there was uncertainty.

"I think that having uncertainty anywhere in the sector is not good practice and we always try to make sure we manage that as well as we can," she said.

"I understand that it is difficult...This is a time of fiscal constraint that is different from others that I have worked through and there have been some very hard decisions to make."

Mr Mallard understood there were hard decisions but said that did not explain delays.

"But those decisions were made in March and we are now at the end of the year."

Ms Sewell said the sector understood what the ministry's plans for contracts were.

"They are clear about the position they are in and that will be going out to contract for the next round of work at the beginning of next year. They are aware of that."

Mr Mallard said universities would carry the burden of paying out redundancies for the budget cut but said the delay complicated that process because some staff would later be re-hired.

"Do you see any irony at a time of fiscal constraint that we will be paying to people who will be re-employed on July 1?"

Ms Sewell said if that happened she would be concerned.

"I believe that in some cases some of them will be involved in some other work. Some of them work in other parts of the sector too."

Asked if the issue had been raised with the minister Ms Sewell said risks and opportunities of the decision would have been outlined.

"This is a time when we've been having some really hard conversations, we've been making some difficult decisions and we are implementing them with as much efficiency and integrity we are able to."