Male teacher shortage seen

Press, 31 May 1977, Page 10

Male teacher shortage seen

An inability to recruit enough young men into primary teaching is of concern to the chairman of the Canterbury Education Board (Mr D. L. Waghorn). At the end of the board’s annual report, which was issued on Wednesday, Mr Waghom made personal comments which he said he felt were shared by most of his colleagues.

The inability to recruit enough young men was in spite of endeavours by a most able male recruitment officer, he said.

The inhibiting factor was the traditional attitude of society, and of careers advisers in particular, that “primary teaching is the place for girls, and boys should train for the secondary field.” Another problem was the board’s implied responsibility to retrained teachers, and to those who had taught continuously since leaving school, Mr Waghorn said. “I feel that our first responsibility is to those

teachers who have never stopped teaching, but the regulations do not appear to cover this situation,” he said. The board had been embarrassed by a surplus of good, keen young teachers at the beginning of the year. Through efforts by its staffing division, most had been settled into schools.

However, retrained teachers were also demanding positions, and could in many cases win these ahead of younger people who had taught continuously since leaving college, Mr Waghorn said. While the board was aware of New Zealand’s financial problems, it was a matter of regret that some areas were neglected because of insufficient funds, he said. The improvement of administrative accommodation in larger primary apd intermediate schools, and the remodelling of intermediate schools, had been neglected. It was hoped that the limits on additional evening classes would be lifted soon, Mr Waghorn said.