‘Teachers will be forced out’

Press, 16 January 1982, Page 5

‘Teachers will be forced out’

PA Whangarei Unemployed teachers will be forced to take secure employment elsewhere if the Government does not provide for the use of their skills in areas of special need,’ according to the New Zealand Educational Institute. The question of whether New Zealand or its children could afford the waste of probably 600 teachers -has been put forward at, the conference of the N.Z.E.I. national executive at Whangarei. A spokesman for the executive. Mr Robert Beard, said the 600 teachers, who were highly trained at considerable cost to the country and were without jobs this year, would undoubtedly leave teaching for more stable employment.

"The Government should place them in positions where they can use their skills to help the substantial number of children with special needs.” he said. The institute identified its implementation of the reading recovery programme as. one such special area, and this would again be given top priority this year, said Mr Beard. Other areas where the teachers could be used were as teacher librarians, teachers of English as a second language, and in general remedial work. The executive also considered several reports which will be put forward to the N.Z.E.I. annual conference in Christchurch in May. These included a review of the Government’s superannuation scheme provisions.