Staff-Student Ratio In N.Z. Universities

Press, Volume C, Issue 29421, 25 January 1961, Page 15

Staff-Student Ratio In N.Z. Universities

(New Zealand P‘ WELLINGTON, January 24. The gap in the relation of staff to students in New Zealand universities is gradually decreasing. Between 1949 and 1960 staff increased by 63 per cent., while student numbers increased by 36 per cent. This is revealed in the final statement of the University of New Zealand Grants Committee, just released by the Vice-Chancellor (Sir George Currie).

With the grant from Government sources rising to £ 4.25 m for the year 1964, and with more money for research, the universities and colleges will have the opportunity, so far as money affec's the issue, not only to meet the challenge of rising numbers but to improve the ratio of staff to students and do relatively more research than has been possible before.

In anticipation of the disappearance of the University of Nevi Zealand at the end of this year, a new autonomous University Grants Committee has

ress Association) been established, and Sir George Currie presented the statement as a supplement to a report outlining the 12-year history of the previous committee. The statement showed that in the period 1945 to 1948. when a large number of former servicemen came to the universities, inadequate finance was available, but with the establishment of the Grants Committee, and at a time when student numbers were temporarily declining, the new system of finance produced steep rises in the money available. Though this was partly offset by increased costs, the universities were undoubtedly better off in staff and facilities in these years. “Startling Thing” “Let us emphasise again.” said Sir George Currie, "that the really startling thing about the rise in finance in the 12 years of the life of the University Grants Committee is not just the most recent increases, which were endorsed by the Parry committee after calculation and recommendation by the Grants Committee, but the very considerable rises obtained in the first and second quinquennia while the student numbers actually fell and thereafter remained on a plateau till 1957. “This fact has, we believe, been insufficiently understood by university people, largely, one assumes, because of the time lag which was felt in getting extra staff after the deep trough of the the four post-war years, 1945-48.” It was hoped that by 1964 the universities would have a ratio of one staff member to every 10 students of the first 1000, and a ratio of 1 to 14 for the remainder. The ideal in Britain was considered to be one to seven. To achieve this the universities would have to recruit at the rate of 159 a year.