World News

Almost one million primary school pupils are taught in schools without a male teacher - fuelling concern for the performance of boys in the classroom.

Headteachers argue that the lack of male role models, particularly for boys from single-parent homes brought up by just their mother, can send a signal to boys about the importance attached to their education.

[MenTeach: The following perpetuates some stereotypes that MenTeach believes does more harm than good trying to recruit more male teachers. You'll find this same argument - that lacking male teachers causes boys to be more feminine - going back to the 1800s in different parts of the world.]

Recently, a young teacher friend of mine, mentioned her brother's wish to be a teacher. Having seen his sister's wonderful involvement with her students, it dawned on him that teaching would be a good career. Yet, the advice given by my friend to her sibling was nonetheless a reality that has to faced:

Jiangsu Province is offering free courses at pre-school primary education normal schools for male students in efforts to even out the preponderance of women in kindergarten teaching posts. It is hoped that in three-to-five years' time there will be at least one male teacher in each of the province's kindergartens.

A major new drive to recruit more male staff to primary schools was launched today as it emerged just one in eight teachers is a man.

Experts said the shortage of male primary teachers was affecting boys and denying them vital role models.

New figures show the number of male school teachers is running at a historic low of 13 per cent in primaries and 41 per cent in secondaries.
Teacher

A drive has been launched to attract more men into becoming primary school teachers in England.

The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) says four in five applicants are women, though it has seen a rise in male applicants of 30%.

The TDA is bringing teachers into classroom events to encourage more men to consider a career in teaching.

It says that boys in particular could benefit from having male teachers as role models.

In the last Licensure Examinations for Teachers (LET), a total of 26,812 took the elementary level test while 23,975 took the secondary level exam.

Only one male examinee -- Gian Carlo Auxilian, a graduate of St. Anthony’s College in Antique—made it to the top 10 in the elementary level.

In the secondary level, 11 of the 25 topnotchers were men, including Benedict Barayuga of Central Luzon University and Gerard Vincent Mendoza of the University of the Philippines-Diliman who tied for first place.

Nearly 90 percent of elementary and secondary schoolteachers in a selective survey said schools should establish a quota for male teachers to correct the gender imbalance.

The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) surveyed a total of 549 teachers; 433 males and 116 females across the nation between July 3 and 6. Most of the respondents replied that they face some problems in teaching and counseling students due to the lack of male teachers.

A new recruit makes up a quartet of men working in a south London nursery.

Ruskin House School, a family-run childcare business in Herne Hill, has had men on the staff for the past ten years.

For Howard Blackman, age 25, who started at the nursery earlier this month, it is his first job in childcare. He said, 'I love interacting with the children. They never fail to make me smile.'

A teenage would-be teaching assistant has added his voice to calls for more men to work in the early years sector.

Almost 40% of primary schools now have no male teachers on their staff. New figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show 1,238 of the state's 3,248 national schools have an all-female line-up in the classroom.

The revelation means that the Department of Education's expensive efforts to attract men into primary school teaching have been a failure so far. Many children are now educated exclusively by women as the teaching profession becomes increasingly feminised.

Men are making up ground on women when it comes to working with children, according to Kingston College.

The college has had more applications from blokes for its childcare courses than ever before.

Watch TV Interviews of five male teachers

More than a quarter of primary schools in England don't have a single male teacher.

Research shows men are important for building confidence and providing role models for children.

There are the same little wooden cubbyholes, small jackets and frayed scarves hanging from hooks that you find in any child-care centre.

The same book corner and tiny plastic couch. The same miniature chairs around miniature round tables.

What's most striking about Beatty Buddies Daycare is the men.

Big strapping men.

New Zealand children are disadvantaged by a lack of male early childhood teachers, a North Shore teacher says.

Adam Buckingham wants men to become early childhood teachers after learning that fewer than 2 percent of preschool teachers in New Zealand are men - the lowest rate in the world, he says.