Following concerns the number of teachers in New Zealand is reaching crisis point, Prof Ross Notman said tackling high workloads and low salaries was important - but so was providing more scholarships, and a broader range of scholarships, to encourage potential teachers in to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, along with more mentoring.
The college has claimed there has been a marked increase this year in schools and early childhood centres looking for staff, and earlier this year rural schools reported having particular difficulty attracting relief teachers and principals.
The Government has pledged to bring in at least 400 teachers from overseas for next year.
Prof Notman had a number of suggestions to make when it came to finding teachers for rural schools - such as increasing the availability of lower cost housing and rental accommodation, and reintroducing a ``country service'' salary system, whereby a teacher could be promoted by working in rural schools for a fixed period.
NZEI Te Riu Roa president Lynda Stuart said that had last been used about 30 years ago.
She said the suggestions Prof Notman had made were ``quite good'' and had worked in the past, and more mentoring for teachers starting out was certainly something NZEI supported.
However, there were a number of significant concerns Prof Notman had not mentioned, such as the lack of support staff for children facing learning or behavioural difficulties.
She would also be keen to see more scholarships available for aspiring teachers studying te reo.
In August, the teachers' college at the university reported a drop in numbers between 2010 and 2017.
Numbers of secondary teachers dropped from 123 to 28.
However, Associate Prof Alex Gunn, the associate dean of teacher education, said applications for all teaching sectors in 2019 had been coming in steadily.
The secondary teaching component master of teaching and learning programme received twice the normal number of applicants this year.
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Good on you Ross. Absolutely right. Where is the attraction to become a teacher when you can earn so much more and in other sectors with the skills needed to be a teacher? Lots of stories at PPTA conference of small towns and areas who can’t find any teachers. Without the Government stepping up we will see the education system start to unravel soon.
Teaching is a wonderful job when you have the time and people to do it right. When you don’t the stress fractures appear and everyone’s experience is down graded; parents, teachers, students, employers and as an end result society.
People need to remember that we are all effected by education. If we invest in teachers, schools and young people we will have better skilled workers and a more productive society.