|
|
The Christchurch Civic
Creche Case |
|
|
|
|
PLAY TIME: Phillip Ozanne, head
teacher at Grace Kindergarten in Khandallah, Wellington, spends time with
four-year-olds Kieran Mee, left, and Ethan Wildash-Chan. In seven years teaching at five
early childhood centres, Phillip Ozanne has not worked with another man. As head teacher at Grace
Kindergarten in Khandallah, Wellington, the 40-year-old is a rarity in a
workforce that is now more than 99 per cent female. The shortage of men - there are
just 132 among New Zealand's 13,741 early childhood teachers - has prompted a
national summit in Christchurch next month. Conference organiser Sarah
Farquhar, of the ChildForum Research Network, said early childhood teaching
rivalled midwifery as the most gender-segregated occupation. "And the number of men will
continue to decline unless some kind of action is taken." She said the summit was intended
to bring male teachers together to form support networks and discuss ways to
recruit more of their brethren. Mr Ozanne said though kindergartens
were often looked down on as babysitting services, they played an important
educational role. It was crucial to attract more men
to the profession because children benefited from having male role models. "Boys need to learn how to be
a man," he said. "And girls need to learn how a man acts around
girls." Dr Farquhar said in the years
following Peter Ellis' conviction for child abuse in the Civic Creche case in
1993, men stayed away from early childhood education for fear of being
accused of abuse. Poor wages and low status were also factors. But since wages had risen and the
industry had adopted a more professional focus, the main barrier cited by men
was that early childhood education was promoted as predominantly the domain
of women. Mr Ozanne said the Government
might need to create an incentive scheme to attract more men. The summit is expected to attract
up to 100 teachers, politicians, officials and other interested parties.
|
