Teaching Conditions Blamed For ‘Crisis’

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31540, 30 November 1967, Page 1

Teaching Conditions Blamed For ‘Crisis’

(New Zealand Press Association) HAMILTON, November 29. The major reason for the shortage of secondary school teachers was the rapidly deteriorating conditions under which they had to work, the president of the Post-Primary Teachers’ Association (Mr A. H. Scotney) said in Hamilton today.

Mr Scotney listed three factors which he believed accounted for the lack of recruits, the dissatisfaction of teachers, and the “critical” state of secondary education generally. “The first was the excessive load thrown on to young teachers coming out of college. “For these young people it is simply a matter of sink or swim,” he said. “They usually receive a full timetable from the day they start, and older, more experienced teachers, who are already overworked, are not'able to give them the assistance they need.. “Because of this, many

leave the profession very quickly." The second factor was the increasing number of large classes in secondary schools. “In the third, fourth and fifth forms, one teacher to 40 pupils seems to be accepted,” said Mr Scotney. The third reason was that the average teacher worked a 45 to 50-hour week. This comprised about 26 hours classroom time, with the rest taken up by preparation and marking and extra-curricular activities such as sports coach-1 ing. “These hours and duties: put a terrific strain on teachers," he said. I