Shortage Of Teachers

Press, Volume C, Issue 29620, 16 September 1961, Page 3

Shortage Of Teachers

Sir, —Now we have a suggestion to raise temporarily the school entry age to solve the teaching crisis. This Is playing into the hands of a cost-conscious Government which is likely to use such a breathing space to do exactly nothing. Education should be the last, and not the first, thing to go in a time of crisis, and it is just as wrong to raise the school entry age now as it was during the depression.—Yours, etc., 8.1. H. September 15, 1961.

Sir, —Perhaps I am looking at education from a countryman’s point of view. There is much merit in "EM.K.’s” argument that it is a right. But the fact that I pay taxes does not give my children the right to secondary education, or rather, the right to free education. I still have to pay if I wish them to be educated in one of the State secondary institutions to Upper Sixth level. Why this should be. we country people cannot fathom. After all, most export wealth of the nation comes through our efforts, and yet we are quite heavily penalised for our situation. Very often we pay a little more for private education because we think it is often better education. It does not follow that we can really afford this. In my opinion a “right” implies equality of opportunity to partake of that right. Perhaps I should modify my former statement thus: education above the age of 16 is the right of children of the towns and the privilege of those in the country. —Yours, etc., DAWN TILL DARK. September 12. 1961.

Sir,—Your correspondent, “Dawn Till Dark,” finds the teacher shortage much easier of solution than do those who are trying to grapple with it. As he has chosen to raise the question of salaries, perhaps he would care to answer the following questions: Is he aware of the methods which were used to solve the shortages in the Police Force, and of their success? Does he know that only the cream of those who pass the medical intermediate examination is admitted to Medical School to begin training, while people without a single unit of a degree are passing out of training to teach mathematics and science in our post-primary schools? What does he consider a fair salary for a trained, experienced honours graduate aged 35 and teaching in a poet-primary school? —Yours, etc., TEACHER. September 13, 1961.