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Top of the Week

Teachers Sick of Wellington

[unclear: as]become vogue in various circles[unclear: d]the university to pretend that the[unclear: tion]Fight back campaign is [unclear: ing] centred only in the university, [unclear: en]more particularly only amongst student politicos" in the students'[unclear: iations]of the universities. [unclear: more] those involved in the[unclear: tion]Fightback campaign have been [unclear: ed] for the attacks they made on[unclear: nment], particularly the Minister of[unclear: tion]. The implication is that[unclear: nsible]" groups would try to work Government rather than attack them.

[unclear: ere]the evidence for this view comes has never been fully explained, [unclear: ularly] as it ignores the criticisms of [unclear: nment] by such bodies as the [unclear: rsity] Grants Committee and the [unclear: Vice-ellor's] Committee and the support [unclear: e] Fightback campaign from various [unclear: tional] groups. At the PPTA Annual [unclear: rence] last week, another direct attack [unclear: unched] on Merv Wellington's policies President R. Hodge made his address. [unclear: g] only two seats away, Merv [unclear: gton] received a stinging, and well [unclear: ed] rebuke for his attitude on [unclear: dary] education. Below we reprint the of his address, which starts with [unclear: ents] on the effectiveness of the [unclear: A's] approach to improving the on of teachers and secondary schools[unclear: ally].

[unclear: s] obvious to me that the methods used [unclear: e] PPTA to acquaint the Government [unclear: he] critical situation developing in our [unclear: ls] over the past three years have been [unclear: y] a waste of time and effort. The [unclear: s] have been virtually nil when you [unclear: der] our employers' response to the salary claim and staffing proposals. It [unclear: ar] that the parents and public generally to be made much more aware of the [unclear: orating] state of affairs, before the [unclear: rament] will act.

[unclear: his] Presidential address in 1968, Bonk

[unclear: a] Association such as ours which has [unclear: ened] for years to one administration [unclear: ter] another, to one Minister of [unclear: ducation] after another, giving the [unclear: ficial] line, 'It's not as bad as you say, [unclear: d] anyway we are doing our best', may [unclear: e] pardoned if we say, as I do now, [unclear: our] best is Just not good enough'."

was in 1968! I seem to remember the [unclear: ent] Minister saying that 11 years later.

[unclear: r]Hodge then went on to outline the [unclear: v] history of the PPTA's fight to [unclear: ove] conditions in schools. He related following a delegation led by Scotney approached the Prime Minister[unclear: yoake)], a series of working parties were up which succeeded in improving [unclear: ditions] of service between 1970 and 1979 setting staffing ratios, and setting up [unclear: lary] services such as Guidance [unclear: seilors] and special allowances for [unclear: pols] with special needs and large[unclear: pols]. However the wage freezes since [unclear: I] had destroyed the relativity of[unclear: hers]' salaries with those in other [unclear: cational] sectors and in the private[unclear: or].

[unclear: Thus] the effect of staffing and salary [unclear: s] made at the beginning of this decade evaporated by 1976. Since then [unclear: easingly] excessive workloads have [unclear: en] many of our best teachers from the [unclear: ndary] service. These workloads have [unclear: en] from the necessity to cope with the [unclear: ere] changes in social and economic [unclear: ditions]; the need to provide the [unclear: ortunities] which many families are no [unclear: ger] capable of; totally inadequate [unclear: ries] and teaching conditions and the [unclear: tin] of dealing with adolescents.

These same pressures and the resulting staffing shortages have increased the [unclear: vice], 30% more than in 1975, and this [unclear: ar] the loss on current trends, will be at [unclear: le-][unclear: 50*] higher, or over 1,900. 384 left [unclear: teach-g] for other occupations last year-the most [unclear: lement] of last year, while largely meeting the problems created by the 1971[unclear: lement] for non-graduate teachers, did thing to improve relativities, or morale, reward the loyalty of those who remain the profession.

It must be said here loo that in trying to [unclear: a] scapegoats for the general plight of the [unclear: untry], politicians and pressure groups [unclear: ve] made savage attacks on secondary schools and teachers for the decline in morals, increase in unemployment, decline in basic standards, in fact all of society's ills. Such condemnation, from people who should know better, and who make a practice of trading on the emotions of the community, only adds to the decline in morale and increase in the dropout rate.

Thus, gross losses to secondary teaching have been escalating each year since 1975. In 1978, 1659 teachers left the secondary service, 30% more than in 1975, and this year the loss, on current trends, will be at least 5007% higher, or over 1,900. 384 left teaching for other occupations last year—the most ever—making up 23.1% of all who left and 230 more than in that last good year of 1975. This was in 1978 remember, with unemployment running at record levels and an uncertain economic situation.

It must be emphasised too, that recruitment into secondary teaching is dropping dramatically.

The overall quota for secondary teacher training has been 1,460 for the past three years. It was lowered from 1,850 to this level because of predictions of falling rolls with a probable teacher surplus, but just as; obviously, as a means of saving Government expenditure. Intakes have been much below quota, this year some 25% below. This coupled with alarming reports of an increased drop-out rate during training, paralleling the increased drop-out rate of teachers, suggests that future recruitment from teachers' college looks very bad indeed.

So with recruitment dropping and losses escalating, the shortage of trained and qualified secondary teachers is rapidly increasing. At February 15 1979, according to the Education Department, there were 206 full-time positions actually vacant, and another 113 filled by long-term relievers, most of whom were considered unsuitable by their Principles. By June 19, in answer to a question in Parliament, the Minister announced that these figures had risen to 243, and 233 respectively—that is 476 full-time positions not filled by permanent teachers. Our own surveys confirm these figures, and show that resignations from teaching are 15% higher this year than last, and suggests a total loss for 1979 of over 1,900 teachers, an all-time record.

This then is the background to the very serious situation we find secondary education in today. Without doubt there will be a shortage of 800—1,000 qualified and trained secondary teachers at the beginning of 1980- an average of almost 4 per school. Many schools will be crippled by greater shortages, mostly in the critical areas of mathematics, science, commerce, technical and English. The extra burden on staff in affected schools will be disastrous. Who knows what 1981 or 1982 will be like? Rolls are not going to drop appreciably, and in fact are expected to increase again from 1983 onwards. Where are the teachers going to come from?

What has the present Government done to prepare for the worst shortages in history? After the election last year, and the formation of a new Cabinet, this Association found itself talking to a new Minister, a recent secondary teacher, and ex member who should know our problems and our language. His record in Parliament since 1975 had not been supportive of our staffing and staffing cases, or of our problems generally.

It was obvious that Education was to be downgraded in importance.

The Staffing Working Party, set up by Mr Gandar in 1977, had produced an Interim Report containing nine items, jointly agreed to by the Education Department, Secondary School Boards' Association and this Association, in time to catch the New Policy for the 1979 budget.

Mr Wellington assured the PPTA in January this year that although he was unable to announce immediate improvements for secondary staffing, from proposals put to him in December last year at his request, the Staffing Working Party recommendations would be considered along with other proposals for the budget. At the same time and at his request the PPTA provided the Minister with a list of schools to visit to acquaint him at first hand with the problems of secondary teachers, which had led up to our staffing proposals. The Minister conscientiously visited most of these schools, and some others, where, we are informed, this aim was largely met.

Towards budget time, from rumours around the country, it became clear that Education was going to come under the pruning knife, with suggestions to cut Teachers' College Allowances, and Bursaries, cut school building programmes, just to mention the more obvious.

The Association met the Minister on a number of occasions, and were assured that Teachers' College Allowances at least for secondary would be preserved at present levels. The Government did approve an Outpost Training Unit for Invercargill and has recently approved of three more in the North Island, with a combined output for 1981 at the earliest of about 45 teachers!

As we all know, the budget contained no improvements of any kind for secondary education, and that the total Vote for Education was in fact only $2 million more than the total amount expended in 1977-78, with no guarantee that supplementary estimates would provide the extra necessary; even to keep up with inflation.

When the Executive of the PPTA met the Minister the day after the budget, he indicated that a "package" of proposals would be put before Cabinet at about the time of the Government's offer on the Association's salary claim—proposals to provide time allowances for internal assessment, for ancillary staffing, and to deal with disruptive pupils—all confidential to the Executive at that stage.

We now come to the events of the last month. The Minister's staffing package appeared as Teacher Aides, a kind of para-professional staffing to assist teachers in the classroom - a measure not recommended by the Working Party. All of the other items of the Working Party recommendations had been completely ignored, because, as the Minister lamely put it in his press statement, they required additional teachers, who couldn't be found anyway! How our members would have welcomed a commitment in principle from the Governemt, to show that, at least, it recognised the problems confronting secondary teachers.

The salary offer from the Government was an insult to a profession falling apart by the day—$3.5 million, to which must be added the 10.4% Annual General Adjustment, together providing some $18 million; as the Minister said more than the amount claimed by the Association! I believe the Minister misled the country by this ploy and partially succeeded, fooling at least that well known morning newspaper in Wellington. What the Minister didn't say, was that, as we all know, the 10.4% applies to all State service salaries, and does nothing to restore the relativities sought against other groups in the State sector, such as Tutor Nurses. It is very clear that this Minister has lost any loyalty he may have had to his former colleagues.

How many teachers, who were thinking of leaving the service, would stay for an average increase of $300 per year, or $3 per week after tax? How many of our highest qualified and most experienced teachers at the top of the basic' scale would stay because they had been offered an increase of about $200. How many students will be recruited to teachers' colleges by allowances, maintained at present levels as the Minister puts it, which by the end of 1980 will be devalued by at least 30%.

To be fair, he has announced improved allowances for Divisions M and W, and for Maori Language trainees, some 90 trainees all told, and this is welcomed.

How many teachers who were thinking of leaving will be seduced by the 9 minutes of ancillary help they may get per week next term, or of the distant prospect of 45 minutes ancillary help per week by 1985?

How naive the Minister must be when he says in answer to a question in Parliament, and I quote

"I am satisfied that if the offer had been accepted it would have led to an improvement in the recruitment and retention of teachers."

This Government seems quite prepared to sell secondary education further down the drain and watch the service disintegrate, probably because we have the courage to speak out, and criticise, and take action when need to publicise our plight, instead of lying down and taking it.

The Departmental publication Educational Standards in State Schools published last year, showed clearly that up until that time we were able to maintain standards compared with the past, and currently with the rest of the world. We will no longer be able to continue to do this, faced with the staffing crisis ahead, and with the reduced allocation of resources by the Government.

Earlier I suggested that the Association may need a new approach to obtaining fair conditions of work for its members, and to maintaining a satisfactory standard of education in the country's secondary schools to raise the morale of secondary teachers, and to turn the tide of teacher loss, and to make sure that every secondary pupil is taught by a competent, qualified and trained teacher.

We have tried by all normal methods of publicity and lobbying to make our points but we have failed. If we care about secondary education and if we care about giving the best by way of education to our teenagers—and we do—we can no longer stand by while the system is allowed to crumble. No longer can we plug the gaps and paper over the cracks—putting whole classes on correspondence, doubling classes up, and covering for absent teachers.

We must take steps to expose the real problems facing secondary schools—shortages of staff, shortages of materials, dangerously low morale. To limp along and to pretend that no problem exists is both unprofessional, dishonest, and foolhardy.

The only way this Government can be forced to change its attitude to eduction and to provide the necessary resources is for parents to become sufficiently concerned to take the initiative. But parents will not appreciate the extent of the problem until the education of their children becomes adversely affected.

Only when their children go home at the end of the day, or earlier, or start school late, and report that they didn't have a qualified and trained teacher for a particular subject, or that there weren't enough books to go round, or that their extra curricular activities were cancelled, or that the school wasn't chasing truants any more, will their parents become sufficiently concerned to shift their criticism from the overburdened schools and overcrowded classrooms and underpaid teachers to the Government, where the responsibility rests.