Teacher Recruiting Tactics Criticised

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31580, 18 January 1968, Page 3

Teacher Recruiting Tactics Criticised

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) MELBOURNE, Jan. 17. Teacher recruiting tactics by a Canadian provincial team now in New Zealand were against the spirit of Commonwealth co-operation in education, the Assistant DirectorGeneral of the Victorian Education Department (Mr W. B. Russell) said yesterday. Mr Russell said he had a feeling that the Canadian Government would not be particularly pleased with the action of some provinces in teacher recruiting. His comments followed reports in several Australian newspapers announdng that a team from Toronto to entice Australian teachers to Canada would arrive in Melbourne on January 22. The team, led by two members of the Toronto Board of Education, Mr N. A. Sweetman and Mr W. K. Bailey, is recuiting in New Zealand.

Mr Russell said the Victorian Education Department was concerned about the number of teachers leaving to teach in Canada. “It is very likely that this matter will be raised by Great Britain or Australia next month at a conference on Commonwealth co-operation, to be held in Lagos,” he said. About 1500 teachers resigned from the Victorian Education Department for various reasons last year, he added.

Price Complaints.—Prices of copper and galvanised iron since devaluation have brought several complaints to the Department of Industries and Commerce, including one from an Auckland woman whose plumber raised the price of a job to meet increased costs of materials.