Teachers Disappointed With Govt. Action On Staffing

Press, Volume C, Issue 29608, 2 September 1961, Page 10

Teachers Disappointed With Govt. Action On Staffing

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Sept. 1. “While post - primary teachers generally will welcome the Government’s decision to recognise, in terms of salary increments, the years of motherhood of married women teachers returning to the service, they will be disappointed that the Minister of Education has seen fit to state that ‘many schools are well staffed by qualified teachers’ and to suggest that statements of severe staffing difficulties are misleading and inaccurate.” Mr A. G A. Baigent, of Hamilton, president of the Postprimary Teachers' .Association. said in a statement. “The most recent figures supplied by post-primary schools to our association indicate that, excluding postprimary teachers in the district high school secondary departments where shortages are most severe, there are 816 positions not filled by permanently appointed teachers. “This number includes actual vacancies, and positions filled by part-time and full-time relieving teachers. “The over-all ratio of relieving and part-time teachers to permanent teachers has increased from osie in nine in 1960 to one in sjx in 1961 “Increasing Burden” "Such a situation has imposed increasing burdens on the permanent teachers and, particularly in girls’ schools, a very limited number of senior teachers are suffering from the stress and strain of shouldering too many responsibilities. “It can readily be admitted that Mr Tennent will find, in bis visits to our post-primary schools, principals and staffs loyally and conscientiously do ng their best in these difficult present circumstances For recruitment reasons many principals are loath to advertise publicly how serious is their own school staffing situation. because young teachers are less likely to apply for positions in schools where the teaching burden is known to have become extremely difficult.” said Mr Baigent.

“Our teachers are so per-

turbed that at the annual conference of the association in Auckland last week, delegates unanimously expressed concern that, after a general question of recruitment had been accorded such urgency as to prompt the Government to require an interim report, the Government deferred consideration of the commission’s key recommendation, made 13 months ago. to increase qualification allowances in an attempt to check the unsatisfactory fall in the percentage of graduates in the post-primary teaching service. Deputation to P.M. “At the request of the conference the national executive has arranged a deputation to meet the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) next week to discuss what the commission termed an undesirable gap in postprimary staffing and the deferment of the qualification allowance recommendation. "Our association is deeply concerned about the many schools where intolerable staffing conditions exist, the increased use of expedients and emergency measures, which are fast becoming semipermanent, the increased employment of semi-skilled personnel with the consequent lowering of the percentage of graduates to about 50 per cent. “We are concerned about the effects of emergency measures upon teacher training and the status of the postprimary profession. “Teacher training cannot be adequately carried out when students enter division C for teacher training with degrees incomplete to the extent of three to four units, and have to spend an undue proportion of their teacher training year at the university. Few Graduates "Moreover, at the Auckland Teachers’ College, of .some 700 students preparing for post-primary teachers, only one in three will enter our service with graduate status. “Lecturers are spending energy on enabling emergencytrained specialist teachers to pass the School Certificate examination before they commence post - primary teaching.

“The responsibility for this situation is not only in the hands of the Government and the teachers, but is also the responsibility of all parents and citizens.

“We have been informed by the Education Department that by 1965 the worst stage of the post-primary staffing situation will have passed. We suggest it will be impossible on the basis of present measures to produce by 1965 an adequate supply of postprimary teachers so that the commission’s desired percentage of 75 per cent graduate teachers is realised.

“Our association is grateful that 650 post-prirnary studentships have been offered this year. It will now be of interest to the community to observe whether sufficient recruits will offer their services under the present standards of working conditions and emoluments," said Mr Baigent.