Massey canes low standards for teachers

Massey University has cracked down on standards for would-be primary teachers, rejecting almost two-thirds of those who applied this year.

As a result, first-year numbers in the course have dropped from more than 200 last year to 121 this year.

The university - which trains teachers at Palmerston North and its Albany campus - last year rejected half the primary teaching applicants and found 8 per cent still failed to complete the course.

College of education head Professor James Chapman described the dropout rate as "unacceptably high".

He said the college had to accept that it had allowed entry standards to soften.

"What we are trying to say is we want to take a firm stand on the quality of graduates from our teacher education programmes."

In previous years the college "probably didn't pay enough attention to the entry-level literacy and numeracy skills".

Professor Chapman said that although many failing students fell by the wayside due to outside commitments, many did not have the abilities to cut it in the classroom.

Those students who had been removed from teacher training courses had, in most cases, been channelled to other courses, he said.

The number of students applying to become primary teachers was declining due to secondary teacher demand, and incentives to enter the secondary field.

Professor Chapman said Massey's entry criteria were not appreciably different from those of other institutions, and he would like to see other colleges of education examine their entry criteria.

He was only trying to be "quite honest and upright" about Massey's position, and it would be unfortunate for the sector if other institutions took "the moral high ground, and [took] some shots".

All teacher training facilities need to look at their student-entry criteria and make improvements, he said.

Auckland University's dean of education, John Langley, backed the comments, saying much of the problem stemmed from a declining pool of teacher-training applicants.

"It is really important that we have high standards of literacy and numeracy," Dr Langley said.

"We have to be careful that we don't lower the standards because we have a lesser number of applicants that are applying."

The decline was mainly attributable to the "relentless hammering" teachers had taken in recent years, he said.

"One has to wonder if it is a good career to come in to."

Dr Langley said Auckland University considered literacy and numeracy "critical" issues in applicant vetting, with the education faculty declining about a quarter.

Noeline Alcorn, dean of Waikato University's school of education, said the school was examining its entry criteria constantly.

She said potential students were tested on their ability to perform at tertiary level.

"Literacy is something we take very seriously."

Victoria University and the Wellington College of Education phased out three-year bachelor of education courses in 2002.

Pro vice-chancellor (education) Professor Dugald Scott said his institution's undergraduate students could not become teachers without a B-minus average across the two degrees they were studying.