Normal ‘by 1990’

Press, 20 February 1986, Page 13

Normal ‘by 1990’

Secondary schools are short of at least 238 teachers. Many other positions are still in the process of being filled. This compares with estimates last year by the Post Primary Teachers Associations of a shortage of 700, but the president of the P.P.T.A., Mr Peter Allen, says he thinks the true extent of the problem is greater. He says the department’s figures do not take into account the special action taken by principals to cover the shortage, such as changing timetables, assigning more classes to existing teachers and, in some cases, bringing in untrained staff. Final figures will not be available till next month after a full staffing survey has been carried out. Some areas such as Christchurch have always been in demand and the effects of shortages may not be felt as much as in some North Island schools. In 1984, the Labour Government approved 405 new teaching jobs for secondary schools, which translates to about one and a quarter teachers per school. In addition, the teacher trainee intake was boosted from 425 to 950 — which is about the same intake as in 1981 before the National Government’s education cutbacks. Because some of these graduates will be doing both long-term (three years) and short term courses, the situation should return to normal by about 1990, says Mr Kevin Bunker, assistant general secretary of the P.P.T.A. Even with the cut in teacher intakes in the years 1982 to 1984, many gradutes could still not find teaching jobs and turned to other professions. Fewer jobs were available because of the general economic turndown and those who had permanent jobs did not risk leaving throughout the year in the same numbers as previously. From an average of 12% or 1800 teachers, the leaving rate dropped to half that Since 1983 there has been a turnaround. In 1984, the number leaving rose to 9%, and the P.P.T.A. predicts that this year it will be close to 12% again.

Because the trainee intakes were cut and many graduates were forced out of the system because of the lack of positions, there is now a shortage of teachers to replace those who left and are still leaving. Their

reasons for leaving range from lack of job satisfaction, retirement, travel or seeking higher pay in the private sector. “We argued at the time that there was an artificial surplus," says Kevin Bunker. “Those graduates should have been found jobs. The investment in their training has just been written off. It was a false economy and now we’re paying the price for those decisions. “It’s causing the present Government considerable embarrassment that they don’t deserve, as well as being a considerable waste to the taxpayer,” he says. The boost in recruiting to attract teachers back to the classroom has been disappointing too, according to Kevin Bunker. He says that although over 2000 previously employed teachers

made enquiries, fewer than 300 have followed it up. “We are alarmed because teachers are being attracted away by better money and less stress,” he says. A drop in the number of mathematics and science teacher trainees is also alarming members of the Christchurch teachers college council, who want to make teaching more attractive to graduates with these qualifications. P.P.T.A. officials are pinning their hopes on the present wage negotiations with the Government They hope that if teachers receive better wages, more of them will return to make up the shortage and this will ease the load on teachers already In the schools, making it a more attractive profession for people to join.