The Cook Islands are faced with a critical shortage of teachers, as locals opt for jobs that pay more than the teaching profession.
With a population of more than 19,100 the government is said to be looking at ways to address the teaching gap by introducing incentives, and advertising abroad for educationists.
Earlier this month, Principal Immigration Officer for the Cook Islands, Kairangi Samuela, highlighted the need for mechanisms to be put in place to monitor employers. Her comments were made following the increase of foreign workers in the Pacific island nation.
She noted claims of the abuse of foreign staff with two official complaints put forward to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration in the past six months.
“We could strengthen our own mechanisms for monitoring; I think that’s something we could do to improve it. Basically check up on the foreign workers who come in, do a private interview and see how things are going.”
