These articles in the Britain section are published in the UK printed edition only, and are published here for the benefit of readers of non-UK editions.

Teaching

A shortage of sirs

TRYING to teach quadratic equations to a bunch of unruly teenagers is hardly the cushiest of jobs. So as unemployment continues to fall, it is not surprising that teacher-training colleges are finding it hard to recruit prospective maths teachers. But there are growing worries that the supply of teachers may be dwindling just as the number of school-age children is growing.
     The government asked teacher-training colleges in England and Wales to recruit about 2,000 people to train as maths teachers this autumn. John Howson of Brookes University in Oxford, who has just been appointed as the government's adviser on the supply of teachers, reckons they will end up with only 1,500, a shortfall of 25%. He also predicts shortfalls in other secondary-school subjects: 15% in science and 10% in languages. So far, though, there is no lack of people wanting to become primary-school teachers or to teach history or games.
     The government wants to expand the number of places at teacher-training colleges by about 30% over the next five years. This is partly because the number of pupils is expected to rise during that period from 9.5m to about 10m. But it is also because more than half of all teachers are over 40, and increasing numbers are leaving the profession well before retirement. According to official figures, a minuscule 0.4% of teachers' jobs are unfilled. In fact, Mr Howson says, these figures understate the problem of shortages: by January, when they are collected, many schools have decided to make do with whatever staff they can get, whether or not they are qualified in the subject they are teaching.
     An official survey of 1,615 students who received a postgraduate certificate in teaching in 1995 gives further cause for concern about the quality as well as the quantity of trainee teachers: 88% of them had earned only a "pass" in their first degree (ie, lower than a third-class degree).
     It seems to be mainly men who are turning away from teaching. In primary schools, the proportion of female teachers has risen from 78% in 1980 to 83% now. Last year, for the first time, there were more women than men teaching in secondary schools. The government is worried about one possible consequence: that, with fewer male teachers around, many boys--particularly those brought up only by their mother--are not encountering "positive role-models" during their formative years.
     Teaching is not the best-paid job, especially for those with degrees in maths and science. But it is not badly paid either. Between 1980 and 1992, teachers' pay grew faster than that of nurses, hospital doctors, police officers and most other non-manual workers, although their pay has been squeezed slightly since. Mary Russell, secretary of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers, says that it is not starting salaries (at least £12,400 a year) nor the pay of head teachers (up to £55,600 a year) that pose the problem: it is a lack of mid-level jobs which discourages people from joining and staying in the profession.
     So there may be something in Labour's proposal that a new breed of higher-paid "superteachers" be created. As well as continuing to teach, they would act as mentors to other, less-experienced staff. The government's Teacher Training Agency is looking at similar proposals. But the national teachers' pay agreement already gives schools a fair amount of leeway: for teachers with ten years' experience, their basic pay of £21,000 a year can be increased by up to £4,400 to reward excellence or to retain staff in subjects where there is a shortage.
     According to Mr Howson, the key to avoiding a serious shortage of teachers is to improve the battered image of teaching which, he feels, is more of an obstacle to recruiting and retaining teachers than pay. Many teachers blame politicians and school inspectors for their profession's poor image. The politicians and inspectors rightly reply that improving standards is the best way to raise any profession's prestige, including that of teachers.