Minister Speaks On Problem Of Retaining Young Teachers

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29768, 10 March 1962, Page 18

Minister Speaks On Problem Of Retaining Young Teachers

Many young women teachers who wool overseas had given a quite inadequate return for their training, said the Minister of Education (Mir Tennent) when he addressed the opening session of the annual conference of the Dominion Federation of School Committees’ Associations in the Provincial Council Chambers yesterday. Mr Tennent was speaking on staffing difficulties in schools—a problem to which he said he had given a great deal of thought. "I am very pleased that the Government has approved many measures to ensure that no child shall be without a teacher” Mr Tennent said. ''Some of these measures are of a short-term nature to meet the immediate needs of schools. I think you will agree that the only lasting solution to our difficulties is to train more teachers, and, when they are trained, to retain them in the schools.” Mr Tennenrt, mentioned the numbers of young women teachers who made plans to travel overseas almost immediately on completion of their training. Need For Bond

“An extension of the average length of service given by young women teachers after certification would make a very substantial difference to the staffing of the schools,” Mr Tennent said. “It was for this reason that a bond to serve at least two years after certification was introduced. I am very pleased to say that the bond seems to have had no effect on recruitment.”

In one of the smaller education board districts last year, 31 young teachers had gone overseas. If this were the same for all boards on a pro rata basis, it appeared that 500 young teachers throughout New Zealand would have been lost to beaching here. Marriage Losses “Many young women teachers leave the service to get married, but my comment is not directed at them,” Mr Tennent said. “The Gov-

ernment has no intention of playing the stem Victorian father. We wish these girls all happiness in their married lives, and we know that their framing as teachers will help them to become better wives and mothers. Many will, no doubt, return to teaching sometime, and their experience in bringing up a family will be ot considerable help to them.” The Government had recog. nised this by the payment of additional salaries to married women who had returned to teaching, Mr Tennent said. Of the drive for teacher training, Mr Tennent said that a record total of almost 1900 primary teaching trainees had entered New Zealand teachers’ colleges this year, about 300 more than last year. "This is a very satisfying start, but it seems that these numbers must be maintained in future if our education system is to develop,” Mr Tennent said. New Teachers* Colleges

Big numbers of trainee teachers posed problems of accommodation, said Mr Tennent In recent years, additional teachers' colleges had been established at Palmerston North and Hamilton, but more were needed.

“Plans are already in train for a new teachers’ college at Karon. Wellington, to accommodate about 450 trainees.” he said. “The existing college at Kelburn will be retained, but its numbers reduced in keeping with its facilities.

“Another college is well on the way,” Mr Tennent said. "An announcement about it will be made before very long.

A review of the total number of permanent and relieving teaching positions throughout New Zealand was now being made in order to ascertain if progress was being made in meeting the supply of teachers, Mr Tennent said. He was not yet in a position to make any statement on the general position of the supply of teachers, but when the survey was completed, he would make the figures public.