Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation

Call Number
Nef 331.8809944 EDU
Created/Published
Sydney : The Federation, 1919-2021
Issue
Vol. 52 No. 11 (7 Jul 1971)
Images
12
View Catalogue

Contents

education JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS’ FEDERATION 1
Teacher Shortage Crisis Federation warning ignored! 1
In this issue: 1
Accommodation Mix-up Walgett Bungle 1 , 12
WHEN DID YOU GET THIS ISSUE? 1
The President Writes 2
education 2
Editorial Resignations and the Staffing Crisis 2
Staff Shortage Trouble at Tarra wanna! 2
Annual Conference Topics 2
The library you need! The Vaughan Report 3
The library you've got 3
Primary & Infants Action Conference 3
Up the Bond! 3
Proposal to Challenge Inspections 4
Action obtains Teacher 4
Port Macquarie Conference 1971—The bottom of the barrel 4
manipulating the mass mind 5
Warner’s Bay Public School Staff Letter 5
Appeal for East Pakistani Refugees 5
Liverpool – Yagoona TRISEC 6
La Perouse An experiment against cultural deprivation 6
Inspection Committee Withdrawal (cont) 6
CONCESSIONAL DEDUCTIONS: time for another look? 7
NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS’ FEDERATION Nominations for the election of Organiser 7
A Vietnamese patriot talks to Jesus 7
The Big Squeeze Teachers’ Colleges, Too! 7
Letters to the editor: Chief Secretary Replies 8
System Defended 8
Advertising 8
Pistols or Swords? 8
Pupil Record Cards 8
Are Teachers Professionals? 8
Education Needs 8
Country Teachers Please Help! 8
Rent Squeeze 8 , 9
Advertising 8
CLUBMAN'S COUNTRY 8
Advertising 8 , 9
Overtime the Answer? 9
Advertising 9
BOOK REVIEW 9
The Last Estate 9
ELECTION OF PRESIDENT, DEPUTY PRESIDENT, SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT 9
Association Reports: Newcastle Secondary Teachers’ Association 10
Retired Teachers’ Association 10
Parramatta Teachers’ Association 10
Assistant Principals and Deputies’ Association 10
Advertising 10
Armidale Teachers’ College Post College Courses Sept. 6-9 inclusive 10
Obituary Mrs. Enid Pollock 10
Fairfield-Liverpool Association 10 , 11
St. George Teachers’ Association 11
Advertising 11
federation library 11
Advertising 11
WORKING CONDITIONS: 12
Advertising 12

Text

education  

JOURNAL OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEACHERS’ FEDERATION  

Vol. 52, No. 11  

JULY 7, 1971  

Price: Three cents  

Registered at G.P.0., Sydney, for transmission  

by post as newspaper Category B.  

Teacher Shortage Crisis  

Federation  

warning  

ignored!  

In the June 9, 1971 issue of Education  

we featured the $1433 million gap which  

the Australian Education Council  

claimed existed between States’ funds  

and education needs for the next five  

years. The Federal Minister for Educa-  

tion and Science, Mr. Fairbairn,  

assured our President in May that the  

States’ educational plight was definitely  

on the agenda for the Premiers’ Con-  

ference, June 16-17.  

Since then the public has been given no  

inkling on whether this topic was discussed,  

but two facts have emerged which make it  

unlikely that it was treated more than per-  

functorily: on Thursday, June 17, Mr. Fair-  

bairn referred to the sums in the education  

needs survey as “hypothetical”; since then  

it has been revealed that neither Mr. Askin’s  

nor Sir Henry Bolte’s government has  

furnished Mr. McMahon’s government with  

the figures needed to finalise the Common-  

wealth’s grant to the States for education.  

President’s Statement  

At the time of the Premiers’ Conference,  

Federation President Mr. W. J. Whalan  

said in Canberra:  

Unless our visit to Canberra causes the  

Federal politicians to become aware of the  

immediate education crisis existing in this  

country, of the deep concern of teachers and  

parents, and to take immediate steps to over-  

come this crisis, then the future of Australia  

and its younger generation will continue to  

be placed in jeopardy.  

Director-General’s Letter  

Mr. Whalan’s statement was borne out by  

letter received by Federation’s General Secre-  

tary, Mr. I. G. Lancaster, from Mr. Buggie,  

the Deputy Director-General of Education,  

on June 17.  

In this letter the Deputy Director-General  

stated that no increase in secondary teachers  

was expected in 1972 but that pupil increase  

would be 11,360.  

In the light of this letter, and meeting  

with the Public Service Board on Friday,  

June 18, Federation called press confer-  

ence on Monday, June 21, to alert the public  

to the grave situation emerging for 1972.  

The Press proved most co-operative and the  

issue of teacher shortage in 1972 has  

received coverage in all daily newspapers  

and on radio and television.  

Conference Statement  

At the conference the President stated:  

“It is obvious that 1972 will open with  

secondary education in truly shocking  

state, unable even to maintain the unsatis-  

factory reductions of 1971 and faced with  

inevitable further reductions in 1972.  

“This is an indictment of the governments  

which have allowed such situation to arise.  

“Federation with its limited research  

facilities has given warning of the position  

for at least ten years. We have said that the  

school population forecasts which condi-  

tioned the number of teachers taken into  

training each year were completely wrong.  

We called for the building of teachers’ col-  

leges and the training of all suitable and  

qualified applicants. We spent thousands of  

dollars trying to get the message to the  

parents and the government. We were  

branded as alarmists and agitators, and  

Ministers and Governments through com-  

plete ineptitude have allowed the position to  

deteriorate to stage where secondary educa-  

tion can no longer continue to function even  

at the present reduced levels.  

Government Responsibility  

“The responsibility rests with the govern-  

ments of the past ten years and in particular  

with the current government and Minister  

for Education, who have been in office long  

enough now to have taken those measures  

which would have produced the teachers to  

cope with the situation.  

“The Federation gave the warnings and  

presented the only possible solution. The  

warnings were classed as alarmist propa-  

ganda, the advice was ignored. The Minister  

and the Government must accept the  

responsibility.  

“Even to maintain 1971 standards, which  

cut the school week from 40 periods to 39.  

there is shortfall of about 300 teachers  

plus the 800 required for the additional  

11,360 pupils. This is about 1,100 teachers  

short. To restore the lost period and return  

to the normal 40 periods will require  

further 540 teachers, giving shortage of  

1,640 teachers. There are strong indications  

that the resignation rate has been under-  

estimated and that the total needs will be  

about 1.500 if we continue with 39-period  

week, and 2,000 if we go back to 40  

periods.”  

Above: Two views of overcrowding at  

Walgett Central School. sewing class is  

forced to work outside (what happens when  

it rains?) Children queuing in the inade-  

quate ablution block during recess.  

In this issue:  

School Libraries. An analysis of the  

Vaughan Report on deficiencies. P. 103.  

TRISEC. An exciting experiment in teacher  

organisation at Yagoona. P. 106.  

La Perouse Experiment. Voluntary effort by  

Kogarah High teachers to help deprived  

children. P. 106.  

Accommodation Mix-up  

Walgett Bungle  

By Miss E. Maffick  

Deputy President.  

The staff of the infants’ and primary  

departments at Walgett Central School  

propose to take stop work action in  

third term unless certain assurances are  

given by the Education Department  

before the end of second term in re-  

lation to the building programme at  

that school.  

In an example of inexplicable bungling the  

Education Department has sold double  

portable in reasonably good condition, which  

will be removed on the completion of certain  

current construction, leaving the school just  

as overcrowded as at present.  

The Department also sold and had to re-  

purchase the only weathershed on the site  

which, because of inadequate storage space,  

had been converted into storeroom. The  

Department incorrectly sited new infants’  

ablution block and failed to provide staff  

toilets in either the infants’ or primary ablu-  

tion blocks.  

Primary Shortages  

The primary department is little more than  

collection of makeshift accommodation,  

consisting of the original antiquated build-  

ing, the verandah of which has been parti-  

tioned to provide for two classrooms and  

library. The latter is so small—l2ft. llfrft.  

—that only six children at the most can  

change books at time. All of these make-  

shift rooms are hotboxes in the summer. In  

addition, there are two dilapidated one-  

teacher schools and the double portable.  

Only two rooms have fluorescent lighting  

and the heating facilities are either non-  

existent or totally inadequate.  

Although the infants’ department occupies  

new brick block, there are insufficient  

classrooms. Two classes occupy one room  

divided by partition which does not reach  

the ceiling.  

The double portable is being re-sited  

pending the completion of the new ablution  

block and two classrooms for the primary  

school and the new infants’ ablution block.  

It will then be removed, leaving the school  

just as shockingly overcrowded and, apart  

from two new classrooms, as unsatisfactorily  

housed as at present.  

Apart from the fact that the double port-  

able will still be needed at Walgett, it is  

quite inexplicable that the Department could  

allow any reasonably satisfactory building to  

be sold when there are known classroom  

shortages elsewhere. In fact, this building  

could be used immediately at Lightning  

Ridge where two classes are being accom-  

modated in dilapidated, unlined, galvanised-  

iron local hall with most inadequate toilet  

facilities.  

Toilet Needs  

Work on the ablution block for the infants’  

school has now been delayed pending re-  

siting. Had it proceeded without this error  

being rectified, it could have cost the Depart-  

ment thousands of dollars for demolition  

and re-building.  

With the removal of the existing toilet and  

washroom blocks, when the new ablution  

blocks are completed there will be no staff  

toilets until new primary administration  

(Continued back page)  

WHEN DID YOU GET  

THIS ISSUE?  

Federation has received numerous  

complaints about the late arrival of  

“Education” at schools.  

We would like to know how late it is  

in arriving at your school, so fill in the  

coupon below and let us know.  

NAME:  

SCHOOL:  

DATE OF ISSUE:  

DATE RECEIVED: .-  

Contact your local post office as well.  

If they know you’re anxious to get  

“Education” this may expedite delivery!  

Cite

Citation options:
Work identifier

http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-727264080

APA citation

N.S.W. Teachers' Federation & New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. (1919). Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation Retrieved July 26, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-727264080

MLA citation

N.S.W. Teachers' Federation and New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation Sydney: The Federation, 1919. Web. 26 July 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-727264080>

Harvard/Australian citation

N.S.W. Teachers' Federation & New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation. 1919, Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation The Federation, Sydney viewed 26 July 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-727264080

Wikipedia citation

{{Citation
  | author1=N.S.W. Teachers' Federation.
  | author2=New South Wales Public School Teachers' Federation.
  | title=Education : journal of the N.S.W. Public School Teachers Federation.
  | year=1919
  | section=volumes.
  | issn=0013-1156
  | issue=Vol. 52 No. 11 (7 Jul 1971)
  | location=Sydney
  | publisher=The Federation
  | url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-727264080
  | id=nla.obj-727264080
  | access-date=26 July 2025
  | via=Trove
}}

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