Should Raise Standard Of Teaching Profession

Chronicle (Levin), 24 March 1949, Page 5

Should Raise Standard Of Teaching Profession

Press Association)

(Per

WANGANUI, March 23. Because scliool rolls are iucreasing and there is a heavier depiand on teachers and a shortage of sfiiff there is a danger of the prestige of the profession being lowered. This view was expressed by the chairman of the Wanganui Education Board (Mr. W. B. Tennent) of Palmerston North, at the annual conferenee in Wanganui today of the Dominion Federation of School Committecs. "There is a great danger that in order to obtain the number of teachers we require because of the growing' demands we may lower our standards," Mr. Tennent said. "Any lowering of these standards would be most detfimental to the children." Two influences played a large part in the development of children — the home. and school. A teacher had considerabie influence on a ehild and rather than lower the stan « dard of the teaching profession . he would prefer to see it raised. Mr. Tennent continued: "We should come out as a bodv with a policy of increasing the salaries of teachers and at the same tinie raising the standarcl. If we made it such that aspiring teachers had to strive to enter the profession and at the same time so inereased the emolunients as to make teaching worth- ■, while as a career T believe we would f have the very best types of teachers offering. " (