PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 6, 22 January 1937, Page 9

PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS

■Presa Association.)

Lowering of the Entrance . Standard DEPARTMENT'S ADVICE

(By Telegraph—

AUCKLAND, Jan. 20. The obvious necessity for temporarily lowering the academic standard required of prospective teachers was pointed out by the Education Department in a letter received by the Auckland Education Board at its meeting yesterday. Figures supplied by boards showed a deficiency in the numher of students selected for training colleges, the letter stated. "Soma boards will no doubt have received applications from students with. say, higher-leaving status or better, but in other cases students were advised not to apply, ' ' the letter added. "In order, therefore, that all should have equal chance of selection, all boards should immediately call for fur* ther applications, and should state that nothing lower than a higher-leaving certificate will be accepted." Applicants should also be asked to state what other qualifications they possessed besides the higher-leaving certificate. It was stated that applications should be made by February 1, and it would not be necessary for thosq who had already applied to make further applications. The chairman, Mr. T. U. Wells, said that only about 180 applicants had been accepted in Auckland up to the present, leaving a deficiency from the district of approximately 40. Only a few applicants had been rejected on account of personality and other reasona, and a small number had failed to pass the entrance examination. Asked whether the entrance examination was too stringent for applicants, Mr. Wells said it was not a diflicuh' test for those who had a secondary education. In outlin^ig conditions of employ* ment of teachers during 1937, the department, in a further communication, stated that all engaged as relieving teachers or supernumeraries were to be notified that they were expected to make application for permanent appointment to advertised positions in keeping with their grading and that their continued employment depended upon their m^cing such application.