Teacher policy ‘at odds’

Press, 5 August 1985, Page 5

Teacher policy ‘at odds’

The Government is at odds with itself about inservice training for teachers, says the Opposition spokewoman on education, Miss Ruth Richardson.

Advanced study programmes for teachers had been cut at the same time the Government was trying to re-recruit teachers, she said.

This year 37 programmes had been available to teachers but these were being cut to seven next year because the Government was not prepared to fund them, said Miss Richardson. The programmes are available through teachers’ colleges.

“We seek quality in teach-

ing. Critical to the maintenance of that quality are programmes like this’ “The Government is set on a collision course with itself. It cannot recruit with one hand and on the other deny teachers’ colleges what is needed to fulfil that task.”

Miss Richardson said she would question the Educa-

tion Department this week when its estimates came before a Parliamentary select committee. “In order to fund new areas the department has probably been required to find compensatory savings and I presume that this is the area that has taken the chop.”