TOO MANY TEACHERS?

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 110, 12 May 1939, Page 4

TOO MANY TEACHERS?

FEAR OF A GLUT

STUDENTS "PILING UP"

The possibility of a glut of teachers arising in the next four years consequent on the numbers that were being trained at the Teachers' Training Colleges, and the teaching profession becoming so overcrowded that rationing, as carried out during the depression, might have to be reverted to, was mentioned by Mr. A. Hanna (Dunedin) when speaking at the conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute yesterday afternoon.

Mr. Hanna said that in 1937 the number of teachers who had left the Dunedin Training College was 126 —48 men and 78 women. After the new salary regulations had come into operation in October, 1938, one man and 16 women were placed in positions, and 109—-47 men and 62 women—had not received permanent appointments. The number required normally in a relief capacity was 45, and after allowing for that, there were 64 for whom there was no prospect of employment. They were being used as "supernumeraries," but had not received permanent positions. i -■ GRADING APPLICATION. The present grading number was 200 and the number required for appointment to positions for which they would be eligible would be on the average from 170 to 177. Assuming they got six months a year, it would still take four or five years for them to reach the graded number which would ensure their appointment to permanent positions.

Mr, Hanna appealed to the institute and the Education Department to find positions for those teachers. When they considered what the position would be in four years' time, with the piling up of students leaving the training colleges, they would probably be in a position as bad as that which existed during the depression, when a rationing scheme had had to be introduced.

DIRECTOR'S COMMENT

UNEMPLOYMENT NOT LIKELY

In an interview today the Director of Education, Mr. N. T. Lambourne, referred to the statement made by Mr. Hanna.

Mr. Lambourne said that although there were teachers who had not yet secured permanent positions there was absolutely no unemployment among teachers, who would go where their services were required. Every trained teacher, married or single, who could give effective service and who had not yet secured a permanent appointment but who was prepared to accept service where required could secure continuous employment immediately either as a relieving teacher or as a supernumerary teacher.

"As every December a" large number of students complete their training and become certificated there must inevitably be," said Mr. Lambourne, "an almost equally large number of teachers without permanent positions during the first term or two of the year. But this supply is rapidly absorbed during the year because of the, wastage due to marriage, retirement on superannuation, and death. During the past year or two such j wastage has been approximately 500 a year. Furthermore, relieving teachers are in constant demand through various causes; in February alone 387 were thus employed. AU chis goes to show that it is impossible to continue to staff the schools adequately throughout the year if at the beginning of the year every teacher is in a fixed permanent position. ASSURED OF CONTINUOUS WORK. 'There was a time," continued Mr. Lambourne, "when a ieacher who could not obtain a permanent or a relieving position remained unemployed as a teacher; now teachers are assured of continuous work in the profession for which they have been trained. "There is, moreover, another very important aspect of the matter: the Government wishes to reduce the size of classes and to raise the schoolleaving age; it is impossible to attempt this unless there is an adequate supply of teachers for the purpose.

"Recent information is to the effect that the supply of teachers available for appointment is rapidly diminishing! one district has already called upon another for teachers and two or three others will be doing so very shortly. There is, therefore, no unemployment amors <?achers nor any likelihood of there^ -.- ng so."