Retaining Teachers Key To Keeping Up School Staffs

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30094, 30 March 1963, Page 16

Retaining Teachers Key To Keeping Up School Staffs

(Neu Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, March 29 The retention of trained teachers in the service was a field to which little attention had been given in the past, the president of the Educational Institute, Mr W, R. Familton. told the recruitment conference called in Wellington this week by the Education Boards’ Associa- ' tion. Mr Familton, whose submissions were made avail- I able today, said it had often bee® said there was no shortage ot trained teachers in , New Zealand but that too many of them were outside , the service. From an economic aspect alone, a reduction of the rate of loss would more than repay the research and staff to cultivate men to retain them, he said. This could be the key to maintaining an adequate ripply of teachers, said Mr Familton. Mr Familton said that from ; the educational point of view ;i’ was not fully appreciated that the loss of an experienced teacher could not be compensated by the substitution of a newly recruited teacher. The work that should be undertaken to prevent the wastage of trained teachers who resigned from the service had been strongly advocated by the institute for many years and the Ministry of Education’s decision to authorise the appointment of personnel officers in some boards had been welcomed' But the institute would like to see the scope of the work greatly extended, be said. He said a personnel service would not prevent all

teachers from leaving the service, but it would ensure Sheir services were not lightly let go and that they were welcomed back whenever they were available again. The conference, attended by representatives of the institute, the Post Primary Teachers’ Association, the secondary schools’ boards, the Dominic® Federation of School Committees’ Associations and the Department of Education, spent two days exchanging ideas and working out ways of improving recruitment.

An intense recruiting campaign will be conducted by the department, the education boards and teachers’ organisations, and there will be a special effort to attract trained teachers back into the service, it was announced today.