Universities complain of staff shortage

Press, 4 July 1985, Page 6

Universities complain of staff shortage

PA Wellington Problems facing universities in recruiting staff became even more acute last year, according to reports presented in Parliament. The 1984 reports of the University Grants Committee and university institutions show that student numbers rose, but studentstaff ratios deteriorated. The University of Auckland said in its report that difficulties in recruiting staff in fields such as commerce, computer science, engineering, and medicine had become even more acute in 1984, “and especially since the 20 per cent currency devaluation.” The university said problems were greatest with crucial senior posts. “It has to be emphasised that the universities recruit on an international market, and the relative drop in salaries .here when they were already behind those in Australia and many other

countries must have serious results. “Within New Zealand, too, there are now big imbalances between university salaries and some in the private sector.” Massey University said staff recruitment remained difficult in many areas. The university found itself uncompetitive on the international market because of its salary levels and because of the exchange rate. “The letter from a new overseas graduate saying that he could not join the staff at the salary offered (already generous on local relativities) because he was earning more as a casually employed student assistant in his own university is one of the more graphic illustrations of the problem.” Victoria University’s report said that the university was finding it increasingly difficult to develop its teaching and research in response to scientific and

scholarly advances. “Such development has become markedly more difficult to achieve with restricted funding, reduced staff mobility, and increasing student numbers.” The university said ratios as high as 20 students to one staff existed in some departments. “The consequential pressure on staff is a continuing discouragement to scholarly innovation.” The University of Canterbury said that in some of its departments only entry restrictions prevented continuing deterioration in studentstaff ratios. In some fields, ratios as high as 30 to 1 were recorded. In addition, the policy of abolishing some positions and reallocating others as they fell vacant had to continue in order to hold salary costs.