A Discussion on the Need of Recruiting More Male Teachers into Primary Schools
Is there really a need to recruit more male teachers into primary schools or is it a case of substance over quality?
In many developed countries (including Australia, Finland, New Zealand, United States and the United Kingdom) there has, for the past ten years, been growing concern in relation to the apparent need for more male teachers in primary schools (Lahelma, 2000; Ashley, 2002; Martin and Marsh, 2005; Cushman, 2008; Carrington et al, 2007 and Sternod, 2011). Although this anxiety surrounding the numerical supremacy of females in schools is not new, it was problematic in the nineteenth century (Cohen, 1998), the focus of that concern today would appear to have shifted. Predominantly, the disquiet then was the female dominance in the primary education system lowering its professional status, whereas it is evident from the recent popular media reports that the current ‘crisis’ is focussed upon both the perceived underachievement of boys in academic tests and boys apathy towards school in general. The cause of the problem is being attributed to the shortage of men teachers and, consequently, male role models in the classroom (Utley, 2002; Asthana, 2009 and BBC News, 2011). This has led the Education Secretary to call for more men in primary education:
‘We need more male teachers –especially in primary schools – to provide children who often lack male role models at home – with male authority figures who can display both strength and sensitivity.
Michael Gove (2011 cited in Moran 2011)
The Training and Development Agency (TDA) annual monitoring report (TDA 2009, p20) together with the General Teaching Council’s Annual Digest of Statistics (GTC, 2011) have highlighted the existence of a broad gender inequality in the primary school workforce, with males being significantly under-represented (15% male and 85% female). Therefore, the TDA have refocused their enlisting efforts and adopted new recruiting and retention campaigns aimed specifically at
In many developed countries (including Australia, Finland, New Zealand, United States and the United Kingdom) there has, for the past ten years, been growing concern in relation to the apparent need for more male teachers in primary schools (Lahelma, 2000; Ashley, 2002; Martin and Marsh, 2005; Cushman, 2008; Carrington et al, 2007 and Sternod, 2011). Although this anxiety surrounding the numerical supremacy of females in schools is not new, it was problematic in the nineteenth century (Cohen, 1998), the focus of that concern today would appear to have shifted. Predominantly, the disquiet then was the female dominance in the primary education system lowering its professional status, whereas it is evident from the recent popular media reports that the current ‘crisis’ is focussed upon both the perceived underachievement of boys in academic tests and boys apathy towards school in general. The cause of the problem is being attributed to the shortage of men teachers and, consequently, male role models in the classroom (Utley, 2002; Asthana, 2009 and BBC News, 2011). This has led the Education Secretary to call for more men in primary education:
‘We need more male teachers –especially in primary schools – to provide children who often lack male role models at home – with male authority figures who can display both strength and sensitivity.
Michael Gove (2011 cited in Moran 2011)
The Training and Development Agency (TDA) annual monitoring report (TDA 2009, p20) together with the General Teaching Council’s Annual Digest of Statistics (GTC, 2011) have highlighted the existence of a broad gender inequality in the primary school workforce, with males being significantly under-represented (15% male and 85% female). Therefore, the TDA have refocused their enlisting efforts and adopted new recruiting and retention campaigns aimed specifically at