Teacher trainee shortage ‘alarming’

Press, 13 February 1986, Page 9

Teacher trainee shortage ‘alarming’

A shortage of secondary school mathematics and science teachers is worrying members of the Christchurch Teachers’ College council. They were told at a council meeting last evening that the intake of mathematics trainees had dropped from 78 last year to 58 this year. The director of secondary programmes, Mr Reg Graham, said the college always had difficulty attracting people qualified in physics and chemistry.

"We seldom get more than eight to 10 a year,” he said.

Professor Wally Clark said the Education Department had to do something about the difficulties

in attracting people with science degrees into teaching. The University of Otago made a survey last year on science teaching in secondary schools, Professor Clark said. “This revealed a situation that can only be described as alarming and distressing.”

Those people who achieved good marks in mathematics, physics, and chemistry were very likely to gain preferential entry into limited courses such as medicine and engineering, Professor Clark said.

“They are effectively removed from attraction to the relatively unattractive, low-paid jobs offered by the Education Depart-

“All we can attract are the ones the rest of the world leaves behind, and a few who are misguided enough to have a vocation.”

Mr Maurice Cook said the answer was not to step up the department’s recruitment campaign but to urge more high school pupils to study mathematics and science.

“We need to say to our pupils in the lower secondary schools, ‘Work in those • areas and there is a future for you’.” The council decided to send a letter to the department, emphasising the need to make teaching more attractive to graduates with mathematics and science degrees.'