Schools face male teacher shortage

A quarter of primary schools do not have a single male teacher. Staff rooms in 4,278 of the 16,971 primaries in England are solely populated by women, according to official figures. There are just 25,500 men teaching young children, compared with 139,500 women. To make matters worse, a quarter of the male teachers in primaries are over 50 and close to leaving the profession. The worrying trend leaves tens of thousands of boys with little or no contact with an adult male before they reach secondary school. And with dwindling numbers of male secondary teachers, some could finish their education without being taught by a man. The figures, released by the Department for Education, have raised fears that bad behaviour will rise among boys whose lives lack male authority. The problem is most acute for youngsters who rarely, or never, see their father. Ministers under the previous government pressed teacher trainers to recruit more men. However, the Coalition has shifted the focus to the recruitment of more highly qualified teachers. Nick Seaton, of the Campaign for Real Education, said: "These are shocking figures. Young boys especially need male role models. ... each school should have at least two male teachers to provide a male perspective on life." From / Gulf News