New jobs soon for 500 teachers

Press, 27 May 1985, Page 2

New jobs soon for 500 teachers

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

The Government says it will create 500 new primary teaching positions as the first step of its programme to set a one-to-20 teacherpupil ratio in primary schools. Of the new positions, 200 will be created in the third school term this year, and a further 300 in the first term next year. These positions are the first phase of a programme that ultimately will provide 2000 new teaching positions in junior schools, according to the Minister of Education, Mr Marshall. About 513.1 million would be spent next year on teachers’ salaries, capital works, equipment, support staff, and recruitment. The continuing cost would be about $9.4 million a year. The new teacher positions

would be shared among all education boards, Mr Marshall said. The first schools to benefit from the new staffing package would be those identified as having special needs. These would include schools where English was a second language for at least 80 per cent of pupils, those with high junior-class rolls, or with special staffing problems. The first 200 teachers would be drawn from a pool of teachers now without work, Mr Marshall said. The intention was to “soak up” a good number of unemployed teachers immediately so that they did not drift away to other jobs and deprive the education system of their skills. The 500-teacher package was the first main move towards achieving a key

plank in Labour’s election policy for education, Mr Marshall said. It was also a clear indication of the importance the Government placed on the first years of primary education. A 1:20 ratio in junior classes was designed to ensure that children received greater individual attention at a vital stage of their development, he said.