Shortage of secondary teachers feared

Press, 7 March 1984, Page 20

Shortage of secondary teachers feared

PA Wellington Secondary teachers fear that a shortage of teachers is looming because of unfilled quotas for post-prim-ary training. The president of the PostPrimary Teachers’ Association, Mr Tony Steele, said that it was concerned about the figures given by the Education Department which showed a 25 per cent shortfall in the quota of 425 people for secondary training. “It confirmed our worst fears that secondary teaching appears to have lost its attractiveness to young applicants,” he said. “The quotas are set at that level because they are the number of teachers that are required to ensure that teachers that leave or retire can be replaced. If the quotas are not met there'is

only one possible result — there will be a shortage of teachers.” Mr Steele said that there were several reasons why the quota had fallen short by 103, including an inadequate teacher-trainee grant. Another reason was a perception by school-leavers that all was not well in the secondary system. “These people are aware of the stresses put on teachers, and the huge demands on schools from the community,” Mr Steele said

Not enough Maori and Pacific Island applicants were being attracted to teaching, he said. Mr Steele said that the responsibilties for dealing with the problem were those of the Minister of Education, Mr Wellington.

The association felt that the department was not doing enough to attract teachers. It should listen to suggestions, Mr Steele said. These included making schools a desirable place to work, and improving longterm career prospects. Salaries also needed review.