KEY POINTS:
Schools are under severe pressure to find teachers for home economics, woodwork and other practical classes, just-released figures show.
The Ministry of Education issued the results of a national survey to the Herald that suggested a 23 per cent shortage of teachers for technology subjects.
Technology classes include
home economics - or food technology as it is now known - clothing and hard materials, such as woodwork and metal work.
Auckland principals said the problem had been building for years and the 23 per cent figure, while high, was no surprise.
Michael Williams, principal of Aorere College in Papatoetoe, said many skilled tradespeople chose to work in the field rather than turn to teaching.
"It's incredibly difficult to find technology teachers," said Mr Williams.
Secondary Principals Association president Peter Gall believed the shortage had forced a small number of schools to cease offering a technology subject.
The issue was discussed with Education Minister Chris Carter at an Auckland Secondary Principals Association conference last week.
"There was certainly a message out there that it's pretty desperate and we need desperate measures," said Mr Gall.
Principal of Papatoetoe High, Mr Gall said his school recruited a food technology teacher from Scotland.
He said the Government's Schools Plus plan - which would aim to keep New Zealanders in education or training until age 18 - would likely increase the focus on hands-on classes.
The ministry surveyed 608 intermediate, area and secondary schools in November last year in a "one off" survey on technology teacher supply.
Curriculum teaching and learning acting group manager Mary Chamberlain said the shortage figure came from the 40 per cent of the schools that responded, so did not necessarily reflect the national situation.
"The ministry acknowledges recruiting specialist teachers such as technology teachers is an issue," she said.
Ms Chamberlain said technology career changer scholarships were introduced at the end of last year to try to boost numbers.
The scholarships offered $30,000, plus course fees, and were awarded to 60 people this year.
Programmes were also under way to recruit teachers from overseas.
The ministry's first-term staffing survey of schools, released in May, showed 17.1 per cent of all secondary school vacancies were in technology teaching, while 16.8 per cent were in maths teaching. Demand was also high in English and Maori.
A Post Primary Teachers Association study made public last November revealed that tight numbers forced one school to hire a 72-year-old to head its technology department.