Jobless teachers

Press, 1 February 1983, Page 20

Jobless teachers

Sir.—The comments of Mark Lowndes, chairman of the Auckland Young Nationals (“The Press” January 27) make interesting reading because of the scant reference to the needs of the children. Mr Lowndes’ comments confirmed two things: first, that many of our children have special needs which still have to be met and, second, that there are sufficient teachers within the system to begin making advances in giving those children a better deal. The suggested solution of teachers using their initiative and setting themselves up in the remedial teaching business is abhorrent to both teachers and parents. Many children will be in classes well in excess of the 31 on which a school’s staffing entitlement is based, Special needs will not be able to be met adequately because of the size of the group and the time and resources available to the teachers. The Government must reexamine the situation and set out a programme of selective improvements to meet readily recognised needs of those children. — Yours, etc., A. F. FAMILTON. Principal, Sockburn School. January 29, 1983. Sir, — I agree with the chairman of the Auckland Young Nationals, Mr M. Lowndes, that “it is not the Government’s task to manufacture babies to fill the rolls (of schools).” (“The Press,” January 27). It is, however the job of the Government- to predict the number of teachers required and this is the role that the Government has failed to fulfill. Thus we have the present situation in which taxpayers have invested thousands of dollars in teacher-training programmes only to find that these teachers are not needed. The Government’s error wastes taxpayers’ money and causes teachers to suffer. The job of prediction is surely not so difficult. A child born in any one year will need a teacher five years on and one every year after for up to the next 13 years. So where has the Government erred? Is it a simple mathematical error? If so, perhaps Mr Lowndes and his colleagues should go back to school. — Yours, etc., A. M. STAMMER. January 28. 1983. Sir. — The published remarks of the Auckland president of the Young Nationals must cause older supporters of the National Party great concern. His reference to the

school rolls having fallen by 39,000 since 1975, if factual, should have been more accurately forecast' by his Government's statisticians who had two obvious factors to consider — falling birth rate because of the pill and the exodus of young families largely because of his party's performance. The number of teachers trained should be controlled by the Education Department and not just come at the whim of the aspiring teacher. Perhaps better-qualified, more competent statisticians should be the priority. His reference to them “using their own initiative to find work" is just as insulting as they then become subject to the broken service fetish of Mr Wellington. The Minister’s delight at having a surplus of teachers to take over when someone drops out conjures up the vision of newly trained, unemployed teachers walking at a respectful distance behind an existing teacher in case he drops dead. — Yours, etc.. JOHN D. WHITE. January 29, 1983