World News

Torbay has the highest percentage of male primary and secondary teachers in the country.

But education charity Teach First is calling for more men in the South West to become teachers, as the latest figures show a stubborn gender gap in the profession.

The latest Government statistics reveal that just 28.4 per cent of teachers in South West schools are men, although these figures were the best for any region in England.

The 10th Annual EC-MENz Summit was held on 8th & 9th April 2016 at BTI (Bethlehem Tertiary Institute), Bay of Plenty

Celebrating the many roles of men in ECE

This is despite only 50% of women acting as principals in primary schools

Ireland continues to have more female teachers than male, according to new statistics released by the EU.

The figures, released in support of World Teachers' Day, show that 87 per cent of primary school teachers here are female while 71 per cent of positions in secondary schools were held by women.

More men have been urged to work in nurseries to help address a chronic shortfall in the number of childcare staff across Scotland.

An extra 18,000 new workers will be required by 2020 to meet a Scottish Government commitment to expand free childcare places, but not enough new members of staff are being trained to fill the vacancies.

Currently some 95 per cent of all students who train in childcare services at Scottish colleges are female.

A new teacher training program has been created for men in Fujian province, Beijing News reported on Sept. 26.

The project was initiated last year by the Fujian Provincial Education Department, together with three other local departments and five teacher training universities. The purpose of the program is to ease the serious gender imbalance among primary school and kindergarten teachers.

An early childcare researcher is calling on the Government to do more to address a lack of men in pre-school teaching.

Sarah Alexander, of research organisation ChildForum, met Ministry of Education staff last week to discuss the gender gap in early childhood education (ECE), which she says could be improved with political support.

"For far too long we've had an upside down education system – with all the emphasis on the importance of GCSE, A Level and university," explains Jay Ramsey, 40, a nursery teacher at St Werburgh's Park School in Bristol. "But research shows that the influence of a good quality nursery environment continues to be felt right through to GCSEs and A Levels – and these benefits can even be measured economically."

Working as an early childhood teacher is not only a satisfying job but an important one too, says Phillip Ozzane.

The teacher educator who specialises in early childhood education worked for 10 years in ECE down in Wellington before shifting to Tauranga to take up his role at the Bethlehem Teaching Institute.

Dean Hodge comes to work with a smile on his face, every day.

The Ascot Park resident has been a teacher at Adventure Kindergarten in Whitby for more than two years and has just finished his diploma in teaching with Te Rito Maioha/Early Childhood New Zealand.

People ask ‘why should men be primary school teachers?’ and we say ‘why not?” That’s the question posed by Martin Smith, primary education lecturer at UEA.

He points out that some children may not hear a male voice all day at primary school and in other schools there may only be one male.

“And he’s just as likely to be the caretaker or the headteacher as a classroom teacher,” says Martin.

Four years ago: A keynote speaker at the Early Childhood MenZ Summit in Wanganui said it was heartening to see that men are now realising a career in early childhood education is a viable option.

Dunedin Early childhood education lecturer Tagiilima Feleti said the number of men showing interest in early childhood education was growing rapidly.

Men deserve a break. Normal men.

Not the Mitchell Pearces' of the world, who are a disgrace, but the men who are trying to make a difference in our kids' lives every day. Men like our own husbands, brothers and sons.

Israel is lagging behind other Western countries with regard to gender balance in early childhood education, according to Dr. David Brody, academic dean at Efrata College of Education in Jerusalem.

More Scots men will be encouraged to take up a career as nursery teachers and childminders as part of a Scottish Government drive announced today.

Ministers today set out their vision for an overhaul of the country’s early years workforce which will also look at ensuring that the profession is better paid for those involved.

Just 4% of nursery teachers in Scotland are currently male and 0% of childminders. Ministers now want to shift this balance and believe it would have wider benefits for society.

My form teacher during my final year of primary school was called Dr Knight. A brilliant man who remained stoic when my friend tried to glue him to a chair, his specialism was maths.