Varied pay for teachers mooted

Press, 14 February 1986, Page 2

Varied pay for teachers mooted

Mathematics and science teachers should be paid a differential to attract more teachers, according to a Christchurch Teachers’ College council member, Professor Wally Clark. Professor Clark said paying differentials was “the simplest, most effective way” to overcome the shortage of mathematics and science teachers. “I am not saying that I approve of differentials. I don’t really believe that morally they are defensible,” he said. “But I believe that pragmatically it is the only way to do it (attract more teachers).” People with mathematical and scientific qualifications could gain jobs with much better working conditions and salaries than in teaching, Professor Clark said. “If there is a shortage of cars the price of cars rises. If there is a shortage of mathematics teachers, is it not reasonable that the price of mathematics teachers should rise?” However, the president of the Post-Primary Teachers’ Association, Mr Peter Allan, said the idea had already been discussed with the Government, and was unworkable. “Most teachers are generous teachers — they teach more than one subject at more than one level. Therefore it is not possible, in our view, to create a differential scale that is going to single out a group of teachers to teach a subject that is actually in short supply. “To actually develop a scale that would be specific enough to solve the sort of recruitment problem that we have would probably require a differential scale that would be so complex it would be meaningless.”