Teaching Ratios Cause Concern

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30393, 18 March 1964, Page 1

Teaching Ratios Cause Concern

Pressure of population must inevitably force higher the rolls of high schools in the large cities, but the public’must always remember that this made a saving in teachers, said the New Zealand president of Post-primary Teachers’ Association (Mr L. E. Adams) in Christchurch last evening. “A school of 1200 saves six compared with two schools of 600,” he said.

“Apart from saving the duplication of principal, first assistant master, and senior assistant mistress, the number of other teachers is proportionately smaller because, at the higher levels, staff does not increase proportionately to the roll," said Mr Adams.

“Generally the staffing ratios introduced in 1948 are now completely inadequate,” said Mr Adams. “My association believes that important sections of the post-primary school population are receiving less attention than they should.

“The inadequacy of staff in relation to pupils is one of the most serious sources of dissatisfaction and unrest among our members—and there are about 5500 of them,” said Mr Adams. “Undue strain is being placed on conscientious teachers in their efforts to give individual attention to pupils in large classes." Mr Adams said this was bad for education and bad for recruitment of teachers because sixth forms in particular were quick to notice the effects on their teachers.

Big schools in big cities had big problems. For this reason alone a proportionate number of extra top staff should be appointed to deal with organisation and difficulties. t

“Since the present staffing ratios were introduced in 1948, a greater proportion of the school population has gone on to secondary education,” said Mr Adams. “In 1947 the proportion was 86 per cent and by 1960 it had reached 98 per cent. “Pupils are also staying longer at school. Tn 1948, 57 per cent of the 15-16 age group and 31 per cent of the 16-17 group remained at school, but by 1960 these figures had risen to 72 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively. These large groups represent the fifth and sixth form levels which are always demanding on staff tiecause of the need to provide more options than at the junior levels.

“It is in the sixth forms that problems of staffing are most acute,” said Mr Adams “They are aggravated in the last 10 years and the range of sixth-form options has increased greatly. The report of the Commission on Education noted the excessive number of sixtb-form classes with

large numbers of pupils and stated that such classes should be reduced to 20 pupils as soon as possible. “The growth since 1948 of the multi-course co-educa-tional school, the growing recognition of the special needs of the slow learner as well as the needs of children of high intelligence, and changes in teaching methods, all make demands on staffing which did not exist in 1948.” said Mr Adams. “In addition, problems associated with remedial reading and counselling services can be met only by more liberal staffing.”