'Mega-strike' shutters half of New Zealand public schools
More than half of New Zealand's public schools closed their doors on
Wednesday amid a mass walkout by teachers over pay and conditions.
The ministry of education estimated that almost 60 percent of schools were closed as some 50,000 teachers staged a "mega-strike".
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"We didn't want to be on strike, but we did it for the future of education in Aotearoa (New Zealand)," the country's largest education union, NZEI Te Riu Roa said in a statement.
"We hope the government heard us – they must take bold and urgent action to fix this."
With an estimated half million students affected, parents rallied to make alternate plans as teachers gathered for the latest in a series of protests, this on the eve of the government's annual budget release.
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The educators are asking for better overall pay and warning that burnout means many leave the profession just years after starting their career.