Maths, science teacher boost early next year

Press, 15 July 1987, Page 12

Maths, science teacher boost early next year

PA Wellington Maths and science teacher numbers will be boosted by a special training programme starting early next year, says the Minister of Education, Mr Marshall. The idea was for a 10week full-time study course for 20 teachers, with relieving staff being appointed to fill in for them.

Teachers expected to use the programme were those already teaching maths or science, who after more study could teach more confidently and perhaps to more senior classes. Others were teachers with some maths or science units in their degrees, who had mainly taught other subjects. Departmental offices had been asked to work out details of the scheme after consulting teachers’ unions, Mr Marshall told the National Secondary School Principals’ conference in Auckland. He used the address to reply to regularly made criticisms of the education system, concerning standards, curriculum and zoning. A 1981 survey of mathematics showed that the performance of New Zealand third formers was “not as good as we would have liked” compared with students in the United States, England, Finland and Israel. But other results from the same survey, which Mr Marshall said were never publicly referred to by education critics, showed New Zealand’s seventh form students were performing “ex-

tremely well” by international standards. “The net effect of this selective criticism is to undermine confidence in the system in order to make political gains,” he saM- , , . It had been claimed that teachers were spending too much time on taha Maori, peace studies, and trade union education at the expense of the basics, because Mr Marshall had instituted curriculum changes. Taha Maori was not a subject, .and peace studies and trade union education were essentially part of social studies, he said. Sixteen secondary schools from Whangarei to Invercargill were surveyed at Mr Marshall’s request. “Since the question on taha Maori was virtually a non-starter, that left the time being devoted to peace studies and to trade union education to be established,” he said. More than half the schools surveyed had spent no time on either peace studies or trade union studies. Five minutes a week was the most common figure given by schools who could say how much time they had spent on the topics. The zoning scheme, as it was now being run, needed to be reviewed, Mr Marshall said.

“Indeed, I had already instructed the department to make a start on this. “But there’s no question of its being abolished because as long as I’m Minister, wherever practicable, parents will retain

their right to send their children to their closest neighbourhood school — a right that would be denied should zoning be abolished.” Mr Marshall said successful secondary schools would have courses relevant to their students’ full ability, give students the cheince to study at different levels if needed, give students status according to their year at school, and encourage students to go to the most appropriate provider for various parts of their education.