Student bursaries

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33858, 2 June 1975, Page 12

Student bursaries

i Sir, — Dr Harte states! that a standard bursary will increase the number of: teachers with degrees, but in what section of the teaching) service? The supplement to i the “Education Gazette”,' April 2, 1975. reports that a‘ primary teacher with a B.A. after 8 years service receiv-l es $7139 p.a. a secondary) teacher $9003. This primary! teacher holding a senior B 4; position still earns $4 less; than the basic scale secondary teacher who has no ispe c i a 1 responsibilities. i Couple this with percentage ' salary increases, longer holidays, free periods, better ; provision for text books and ■ equipment available to seclondary teachers, where is the incentive to go into the i primary or kindergarten ser- ; vice? The most important years of learning are the .formative early years. The ' irony of our system is that .our best teachers receive no incentives to teach and re-' : search in these -vital areas. ■ One incentive there was has; I gone. — Yours, etc.. INCENTIVES PLEASE ! ) May 29, 1975. I Sir, — I agree with pre- ! vious writers that teachers’ college students are overpaid, but to go to the other extreme, as the standard tertiary bursary does, is ridiculous. It seems that the) (Government has failed to I notice that students at uni-i

'versity have a shorter aca-j demic year than those at; training college. As the; bursary will not be paid lover the Christmas holidays, ' students will need jobs to ‘ supplement the bursary. Naturally, employers will prefer to employ students iwho can work for 3i - 4 I months, as the university student can, in preference to