PARLIAMENT Decision On Teachers’ Pay At End Of Year

Press, Volume C, Issue 29662, 4 November 1961, Page 12

PARLIAMENT Decision On Teachers’ Pay At End Of Year

(NJt. Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 3. If the Government met all requests for grants for teachers the cost would be more than £3 million, said the Minister of Education (Mr Tennent) in the House of Representatives today.

Teachers’ deputations had been told that the Government wanted to so something for them, he said. But in view of the country’s economic situation and the serious balance-of-payments problem, consideration of the salaries question had been postponed to the end of the year.

It would definitely be considered then. “Both the Prime Minister and I made promises on this,” he said, speaking during the debate on education estimates.

“I personally favour increasing qualifications allowances,” said Mr Tennent. He was “very disturbed” that the Waikato branch of the New Zealand PostPrimary Teachers’ Association had said it would do nothing to assist recruiting until “the salary business is settled.” Mr Tennent said: “One wonders how sincere they were when they said their only concern was to get more teachers.” Starting Salaries The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash) raised two matters for the minister's attention—starting salaries for primary school teachers and more recognition for qualifications. He said that payments to training college students were probably better than for those in other professions but there was a special need regarding starting salaries. The difficulty now arising was going to harm New Zealand’s scholars if something was not done about starting salaries “Some children are getting different teachers every month.” said Mr Nash. There was no call for panic over the teacher shortage, Mr Tennent assured the House. While acknowledging a shortage of both primary and post-primary teachers, the minister said the public “should not be panicked into thinking the education system is coming to a halt. “Much Agitation” He described a pamphlet on the teaching shortage circulated by a teaching group as “very cleverly worded to throw fear into people.” There bad been a great deal of agitation stirred up throughout the country said Mr Tennent. He decried suggestions that the shortage of teachers could cause the education system to break down. There was not a country in the “white Commonwealth” that was not experiencing a teachershortage problem. “Every one of them is facing a grave problem,” he said.

New Zealand was short of 700 teachers, said Mr Tennent. “But that doesn’t mean that there are 700 classes without teachers.” He quoted a case cited by the secretary ot the New Zealand Education Institute (Mr Ashbridge) claiming 101 classes were without teachers.

“Tie Secretary of Education and I could not reconcile our figures with his,” Mr Tennent said. On checking Mr Ashbridge’s system they had found that there bad been 63 teachers short on one day. a few on a subsequent day and more on later days, until the total ot 101 for a fortnight was reached. "The impression he gave was that there were 101 classes without teachers.” said Mr Tennent. “In fact, soon after the period quoted, there bad been a full muster of teachers for these classes Mr Tennent stressed that he did not went to give the impression that more teachers were not needed. There were 2068 applicants for teacher

training at the moment, he said, and 1652 with school certificate and university entrance had been accepted. One hundred “pressure-cooker” trainees had been asked for, but 237 applications had been received, 137 ot these proving suitable. “I will be very surprised if we don’t take in 1850 for training college,” said Mr Tennent. “I would like to see the training college standard raised to university entrance,” he said. He mentioned the impractibility of raising the standard even further—to a university degree But, he said, he would like to see no lower qualification for primary teachers than university entrance with extra-mural studies for a degree. It would be a long time before relieving teachers were not needed, said Mi Tennent He felt that many retired teachers still had many good years of teaching ahead of them. Was it reasonable, he asked, to believe that an experienced teacher was “no good” if he became a relieving teacher after retirement ‘This is the impression some people are trying to give," he said. The number of uncertificated teachers was at its lowest point in 30 years—l. 43 per cent, of the total in July his year. Some of these were doing excellent work, he said. Houses for Teachers Mr Tennent said that there were 140 houses for teachers on the programme this year and since December 107 were in the process of being built. There were 150 pool houses. Answering members’ representations about provision

of transport and further hostel accommodation, Mr Tennent said: “I hope to place something before Cabinet before the end of this year.” In reply to a plea for reduction of the size of classes, Mr Tennent said that would be the aim, but it could not be done while there was a shortage of teachers. There was no truth whatever, said Mr Tennent, in the claim that the Prime Minister had promised the Avondale Catholic Home and School Association help in the provision of cleaning materials, water, sanitary services, maintenance of the library, an infant room and the provision of first-aid equipment, as had been claimed by Mr F. Hackett, (Opposition, Grey Lynn). Mr Hackett had said that Mr Nash, when asked for such help, bad undertaken to abide by the recommendations of the Education Commission if returned to office. Mr Tennent said that the secretary of the association, Mr K. Weal had written him several letters, each one becoming “tougher.” Mr Weal’s last letter had been so insulting that Mr Tennent had returned it to the writer. When Mr Weal had been asked to produce evidence of his claim that the Prime Minister had promised the help requested, Mr Weal after two months had produced clippings of statements by himself (Mr Weal) in which it was claimed that the Prime Minister had made the promises. "You produce them and I'll withdraw," said Mr Tennent. Mr Hackett: I would not know him if he walked in.