TRAINING OF TEACHERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1924, Page 10

TRAINING OF TEACHERS.

MAKING UP THE LEEWAY. ADMINISTRATIVE SUCCESS. NEW ZEALAND’S GENEROSITY. In the courtse of a speech at 'Christchurch the other day, the Minister for Education (Hon. C. J. Parr) said that when he had taken over the administration of the Education Department he realised that it had been allowed to run down. There were 35 per cent, cf the teachers in New Zealand uncertiflcated, and 1000 teachers too few.

There was but one policy to pursue and that was to train more and better teachers for the schools. To-day he might say he had done something to improve the decadence and negfcct in the department. In all there was at present a total of 11*250 teachers in training at the four training colleges throughout the Dominion. It might be said tliat this was an excessive number, but he pointed out that it was necessary to make good the wastage that had occurred, by death, marriage and other natural causes. There must be an average of 700 teachers coming on each year, he said, and last year the department had nearly reached its objective. About 650 teachers graduated from the training colleges, and it might be said that from now on an adequate supply of teachers, both so far |.s number and quality were concerned, wcuid be obtainable. (Marriage was th.? most prolific cause of the “wastage.” The ladies left the service all too soon, and this was poor business from the point of view of the department. Abnit flO per cent, of the women teachers left the service, whereas 70 per cent, of the men teachers trained continued :n the profession. It cost _£i2Bis to train a teacher. The number of uncertificated teachers had now decreased to 21 per cent., said Mr. Parr, gnd he felt confident that in three or four years’ time there would be no uncertificated teachers. Another reform that was taking place was reduction in the size of classes. He had seen a grumble jr. a newspaper about the salaries naid to promising young people who were in attendance at the training colleges. What the Government gave to th 3 student teacher was not a salary any sense of the term. It was only persons who were doing something for the State who were paid salaries. Other countries were not so generous as New Zealand to its teachers in training, and he had been unable to find one other country which paid up to half of what New Zealand did to its student teachers. Through the terms offered to teachers the department found no difficulty in securing young people for the profession. ,