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Two failed prosecutions of
teachers accused of sexually assaulting pupils have prompted fresh industry
warnings that men will be scared away from the profession. Principals' Federation president
Pat Newman said the men's lives were needlessly destroyed and their families
put through hell. Primary schools were desperately
short of male teachers and the problem would get worse unless more men joined
up. "As a male in the teaching
profession you are always aware that you may at some stage be accused of
doing something you have never done. "It's wrong. Because you work
with children doesn't mean that you are a paedophile. "We need to be protecting the
males in the profession as much as we're protecting the children." Education Ministry figures show
just 17 per cent – 4624 of the country's 26,305 primary teachers – are men.
They account for 8578 of the 20,241 secondary teachers. Mr Newman's comments follow the
case of a Wellington primary school teacher accused of sex assaults whose
case was thrown out by a judge last month. The man, charged with assault,
indecent assault and rape of a seven-year-old pupil, was given permanent name
suppression. Kapiti teacher Mike Neville was
acquitted in December 2004 of sexually assaulting former pupils at a primary
school where he taught. Mr Neville has since resumed
working at the school but said he had become more guarded in his teaching
approach. The ordeal took a huge toll on his
family, particularly while he was stood down awaiting trial. "It was like you were holding
the pin of a bomb and you didn't know if was going to go off. "It's just another one of
many factors that would turn men, particularly young men, away from a
teaching career." Mr Newman said the two cases
highlighted dangers faced daily by male teachers dealing with children – a
problem made tougher by societal attitudes toward men who worked in such a
"caring, nurturing role". A Teachers Council spokesmen said
there were fewer men training than in past years, which might reflect a wider
range of career opportunities |
