A proposal for trainee teachers to go through an extra year of on-the-job training will not go to Cabinet this month, as reported below. A Ministry of Education spokesman on Sunday told the Herald the proposal was "one suggestion" being considered. Yesterday the ministry said the draft set of proposals was "not yet complete and not been circulated externally". Education Minister Chris Carter said in a statement the ministry's advice was not yet complete and no proposal was going to Cabinet this month.

Teacher education standards have come under scrutiny. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Teacher education standards have come under scrutiny. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Trainee teachers will be forced into an extra year of on-the-job training under a proposal going to the Cabinet this month.

It follows an eight-month examination of the quality of teacher education which has raised serious concerns over the standards of those entering teacher training and the competence of those graduating.

The review drew more than 100 submissions from the education sector, many of them attacking the quality of trainee teachers and training providers.

"I have sat on intake panels and have been horrified as to who has been selected for [teacher training] college," one submission read.

The Ministry of Education is drafting recommendations to go to Government ministers this month.

One of these is that trainee teachers should have an extra year of in-class placements.

Thousands of students begin teacher training courses today as universities start the new term.

Teacher training courses range from a one-year graduate diploma to a three- or four-year degree.

Increasing the work placement by an extra year would respond to a demand for graduates to be more "classroom-ready".

The review attracted submissions from people in early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary education.

Some urged tougher entry criteria for those wanting to become student teachers.

Others said graduates needed to be better educated in subjects they would eventually be teaching.

Another said training colleges had to be tougher on students who weren't right for the job, instead of the trainees "cruising through".

A further response said schools were left to deal with incompetent new teachers after they slipped into the workforce.

The review was ordered last year by the then Education Minister Steve Maharey, after an Education Review Office report in 2004 found widespread problems with graduates in their first two years of provisional registration.

Almost half of beginner secondary teachers and a third of novice primary teachers did not reach the required level of competence.

The review's report - Becoming a Teacher in the 21st Century - suggested a "significant minority" of teachers gaining full registration might have been falling short.