TRAINING OF TEACHERS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25240, 19 July 1947, Page 6

TRAINING OF TEACHERS

MORE ADMISSIONS TO COLLEGE

140 STUDENTS NEXT YEAR Advice had been received from the Education Department that 140 students would be admitted to the Christchurch Teachers’ Training College, next year, said the chairman of the Training College committee of the Canterbury Education Board (Mr S. J. Irwin) at a meeting of the board, yesterday. Since this was the case, he said, every student with the requisite qualifications would have a very good chance of entering the college in 1948. The increase was greater than that of last year, and the board would have the right to admit about 40 extra students, said Mr Irwin. Of this number, several would be students holding university degrees, and others would be former servicemen whose qualifications were not required to be so high as that of the secondary school entrants. The increase was gratifying to the board, he said, and to the school committees who had sought better staffing for their schools. Parents with children attending secondary schools would also be pleased to learn that it would be possible for their children, if they so wished, to carry on to the Training College afterwards. The increase implied a considerable expense, it was stated, as well as larger classes and additional instructional staff at the college, but it was thought that the department would make itself responsible for the financing of the project. Plans to Attract Students He hoped that the Education Department would give the board some latitude in the matter of publicising its proposals to admit more students next year, said the chairman of the board (Mr C. S. Thompson). The board would like to make its proposals as attractive as those offered by industry, he said. The circular from the department had stated that the minimum qualification for applicants was the Schol Certificate examination, with an age minimum of 17 years on February 28, 1948. said Mr Thompson. The training college had said that there might be some difficulty in obtaining the increased number of students required, and, since the department had requested that education boards assist in the campaign to draw more students into the training college, it was suggested that the board follow the department’s advice and see that publicity be given to the fact that there had been substantial improvements made to teachers’ salaries and that the allowances for students were on a liberal scale. Other points in the publicity suggested were that there were excellent prospects for teachers since it was intended further to reduce the size of classes when more teachers were available, and that there was a particular shortage of women teachers. It was resolved that the increased opportunities be given the utmost publicity, and it was agreed to expr ss the board's appreciation of the department’s endeavours to increase the supply of teachers.