The Hawera Star. THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1929. UNEMPLOYED SCHOOL TEACHERS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 24 January 1929, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1929. UNEMPLOYED SCHOOL TEACHERS.

Delivered every evening- by 6 o’clock in ffawera. Manaia, Normanby. Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Alton, Hurley ville. Patea, Waverley. Mokoia. Whakamara, Ohangai, Meremere, Fraser Road, and Ararata-

Many young men and women who left the teachers' colleges upon completion of their training period at the end of last year are mow 6ruling themsclveis in the unhappy position of lacking employment and in consequence are experiencing disappointment amid dissatisfaction with their lot. The overcrowded' state of the teaching profession has been a. subject of comment i'n the Press j and elsewhere for the last two or three | years, and this? paper, in connmon with ; others, at 'the (begin nimg of last year j expressed its dissatisfaction with some i phases of the situation as it then exj isted. Apparently there: has- -been no i'nipravennent in the prospects l facing teachers upon .the completion of tlveir four years’ training, for complaints have shewn- 'brought Hinder our notice that in and l around Haw era atone there are .something lik'e (ten or twelve- young men and women who can .see no prospect of obtaining employment in their profession. Last year, when- protests were made by young people and their parentis -against the regulation which insists -that the trainee shall give an under hi king not -to> leave the profession in less than three years in the. case of

women and five years in' the ease of ' mejDi, it -was freely stated 'by repre'senta.tiiveis of the 'Education Department and ! of iciduealtiion! boards that it wais' the normal position ito find many teachers unemployed at the beginning of the year, but that the surplus would be absorbed !as the year went on. It is to be feared I that parents who' hav'c 1 allowed tinemI bens of their families to devote fotur ye,aids to a training course will take j little comfort from sueh attompitls at reI atesurainiC'C. The remedy for this state [ of affairs, which appears' to l have pro- ! vid'ed a permanent New Year problem* for tcoiebeiis, is l admittedly not ealsy td fund l . It has b'etani contended by some that the surplus of teachers should be ! cut off at the source of supply, that is, ■ ait the training colleges. By others it I is claimed that there is need for the 1 sei-vices 'of all the teachers available ’ and that these: services could and should be utilised by reducing the size of classes. Something has already been done to nietet the first mentioned contention. The ‘ ‘Vocational Guide” issued by the Education Department at the end of Last year itself implies, if it dotas not aic'tnally admit, that the profession iis overcrowded, for it is stated therein:—

In the lalst two or ;three years the numbers entering the teaching profession have been rather more ’ 'than cOuld be readily absorbed, although the process of replacement of uneertificated teachers by certificated teachers has been , i steadily followed .by the Dopart- ] merit. The admissions to training 1 colleges have therefore betan rtaguI Hated in accordance with the anticipated demand, and at present the 1 tendcnlciy is to restrict numbers, with the consequence that oinly students halving the higher preliminaay qualifications are mloderately certain of receiving appointments. • It would not bo reasonable to expect ■ the' Department to undertake to so rer gulate the: admissions to training college's; as to ble able tta' 'guarantee that the supply of teachers at the end of the year would not exceed the demand, but it does seem', in view *of the srfcuation which has faced yoiunlg teachers at the beginning of their careers for the latstfc few years, that something more might be done along these! lines to reduce the! numbers seeking positions. The question of finding mlorei work fol* * teacheUs by the reduction of the size' j of classes comes within another cat'ep go,ry and cannot be considered without 1 consideration .of the larger subject of Government and departmental policy. With those whol protest against the departmental regulation which prohibits trained teachers from accepting any other class of employment, irrespective of whether places can be found for’ them in their owml profession, we are in 1 entire' accord. Some land Of undertaking that the student will give service in return for free, training may be Stall necessary, but it is surely absurd and unjust to insist upon the fulfilment of the strict terms of the 1 bond when openings;' in the profession do not exist. A ease has been brought to our notice in which a. young male teacher, who could not obtain an appointment, was warned that he would foe) called upon to fulfill l the terms of his bond if lue accepted 1 any other class of employment (than teaching. Happily, this direction to starve- rather than leave a profession which could not find usta for him was not obeyed by the teacher, who, even though ho may net have made progress in the work of his firsit choice, has- the satisfaction of still being alive to mlatvtal at the workings of rod tape. It is' not necessary that parents of children desirous of- entering the profession should; take alarm, but it certainly would be wise to examine the prospects' offered in the teaching service in the’ light of the number of candidates for appointment, now and in the future, before coming to a decision to' cm ter upon a! period l Of training.