XN000022-1977-07-17 — Page 2

SUNDAY, JULY 17, 1977

KEEN TEACHERS RESPONSE TO NEW CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

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MORE THAN 300 GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS HAVE APPLIED FOR NEW CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN EXPANDING SECTIONS OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT-TEACHING IN SPECIAL CLASSES, WORKING IN THE RECREATION AND SPORT SERVICE, AND LIBRARIES IN COLLEGES, INSTITUTES AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

AND A LARGE NUMBER OF ENQUIRIES ARE BEING RECEIVED EACH DAY FROM GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS ABOUT NEW OPENINGS DURING THE NEXT FEW YEARS BOTH WITHIN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE.

+THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN SO GREAT THAT WE'VE HAD TO SET UP SPECIAL UNIT WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT TO COPE WITH THE DEMAND,+ THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR. COLVYN HAYE SAID TODAY.

*THE TEACHERS' RESPONSE HAS BEEN VERY ENCOURAGING AND IS A CLEAR INDICATION OF THEIR RECOGNITION OF THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST WHERE REQUIRED, HE SAID.

MR. HAYE SAID THE APPLICATIONS WERE NOW BEING PROCESSED AND THE FIRST GROUP OF SUITABLE APPLICANTS SHOULD BE IN THE IR NEW POSTS BY SEPTEMBER.

+THOSE JUDGED SUITABLE BUT FOR WHOM THERE ARE NOT YET POSTS WILL BE PLACED ON A WAITING LIST AND WILL HAVE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES SUBSEQUENTLY AS MORE POSTS BECOME AVAILABLE, HE SAID.

MR. HAYE EMPHASISED THAT SPECIAL PRIORITY WAS BEING GIVEN TO SUITABLE APPLICANTS TO FILL VACANCIES IN OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS.

+AND THOSE ACCEPTED WILL BE ABLE TO RETAIN THEIR PRESENT SALARY SCALE IN OTHER POSTS, IF THIS IS TO THEIR ADVANTAGE, + HE SAID.

AT PRESENT, THERE ARE SOME 650 SURPLUS TEACHERS ON THE GOVERNMENT PRIMARY SCHOOL ESTABLISHMENT AS A RESULT OF THE DWINDLING PRIMARY SCHOOL ENROLMENT.

MR. HAYE SAID THAT MORE AND MORE GOVERNMENT PRIMARY TEACHERS WERE ALSO SHOWING AN INTEREST IN THE ONE-YEAR FULL-TIME REFRESHER COURSE DESIGNED TO FIT THEM FOR TEACHING IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

ONE HUNDRED PLACES WERE AVAILABLE FOR THE COURSE BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, AND MORE THAN 70 ENQUIRIES HAD BEEN RECEIVED DURING THE PAST FEW DAYS BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND THE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION, HE SAID.

+SO FAR WE'VE RECEIVED 20 WRITTEN APPLICATIONS BUT THE DEADLINE FOR OTHER APPLICATIONS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE END OF THE MONTH.

+1 CAN ASSURE TEACHERS SELECTED AS SUITABLE FOR REFRESHER TRAINING THAT THEY WILL RETAIN THEIR FULL SALARIES DURING TRAINING, + SAID MR. HAYE.

MORE THAN 30 TEACHERS WHO ENROLLED LAST SEPTEMBER HAVE BENEFITTED FROM THE COURSE.