Out-of-Work Teachers

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 905, 24 February 1930, Page 8

Out-of-Work Teachers

CAUSES AND POSSIBLE CURE THE present economic position is causing fewer teachers to retire on superannuation before reaching the age-limit. It is also tending to make women teachers who marry continue in their profession. These are two of the facts which are probably helping to keep many of the young teachers out of work.

Inquiries made in an attempt to find out why so many young teachers should be out of work brought the suggestion from one educational authority that 25 per cent, of the students who pass through training colleges are not really fit to take up the profession of teaching. The Education Department, to maintain its requirements, always assesses the wastage of teachers. In the statistics compiled by the department full information ‘regarding those who are out of work, those who marry, retire on superannuation or go on sick leave is given. The figures prove that during the last few years fewer teachers have gone out on superannuation. It was stated two years ago that the surplus of teachers would be absorbed by 1930. However, this year finds the position much as it was two years ago. It is only natural to expect some unemployment among teachers, as in every other profession or calling. One man who is closely associated with teaching in Auckland expressed the opinion that the “misfits” should be jettisoned, either during their training or at the end of the training course. At present, if a student persists for long enough, he can get through his examinations. If he fails one year he can continue his training and keep on until the necessary certificates have been obtained.

In spite of the fact that the Education Department some time ago decided on a policy of reducing the size of classes at schools, therp are still very large classes at most of the big primary schools. This means that fewer teachers are required. It is a well-known principle in education that no teacher can control efficiently a very large class of children. This is an age of individual teaching, where an effort is made to bring out the potentialities of each child. The only possible way would be to have small classes and this would absorb more teachers. The Education Department proposes to tighten up the proficiency examinations very shortly and is also bringing in a new examination called the Training College Entrance Examination, which will put on the secondary schools a heavy burden of extending the work of those entering the teaching profession. Art, music and elocution are among the subjects which will new find a place on the curriculum of the secondary schools. Teachers leaving the training colleges are practically all placed the first year, but after that many of them find themselves without permanent positions. It has been suggested that young teachers should be attached to the staffs of schools as supernumeraries, to be moved about at the discretion of the headmaster. This would absorb most of the young teachers and leave very few out of work.