I can’t help get the feeling the government is on the cusp of missing a golden opportunity to send a message to us all that it isn’t afraid of addressing the hard problems.

The news that of a teaching crisis in the form of a teacher shortfall of around 850 teachers might have come as a shock to some but for those at the coalface of the education system it is hard to imagine too many were surprised.

In watching interviews with Minister of Education Chris Hipkins one almost gets the impression that he is resentful of finding himself in the position of having to address the demands and needs of teachers after what has, arguably, been a lengthy period of neglect.

But that is this Government’s lot and they have to deal with it.

Yes, perhaps he has a point in placing the blame on the previous government or governments.  The crisis hasn’t happened overnight.  One thing for certain. The problem is here and it’s not going to go away.

We could all spend too much time debating and discussing how or why we got here.

But what is the problem?

It is simply that teachers overtime have become over worked and underpaid. How many parents in discussing their kids futures would honestly encourage them into that profession?

For years it seems teachers have seen their working conditions diminish to the extent that it is hard to see why anyone would be enticed into that profession unless they had the prospect of other financial means of support.

Complaints by the minister about previous government inaction don’t sound like leadership to me. They sound like an excuse to avoid fully addressing the problem that they are being presented with. It doesn’t fill me with confidence that they are prepared to take a position which might demonstrate some real leadership at a time when it is required.

But doesn’t this crisis present the government with an opportunity? A chance for the Minister  and the government to make a statement and say – you know what: we are going to invest in teachers. We are going to turn the tide around the pessimism and despondency which exists in many schools around the country. Yes, this may be a problem that we have inherited but who cares about that - we are here to solve it.

I don’t know about you but I don’t particularly care about the blame game and how we got here. What I think would inspire people would be talk of a solution.

I want to see a message sent out saying that teachers are valued.

Through the course of talkback, you will often here form people who will challenge any point of view and say ‘what has this government done?”

And it’s always difficult to point to any huge moment in a Government’s policies.

I think this is basically an opportunity to stop pussy footing  around  - deal with it and tinkering with a thousand dollars here and there . Deal with it, pay them more, make a commitment and send a loud and clear signal that teachers are valued and get this problem back on track to having a long term solution.