Fail mark for suggesting teachers ditch degrees

RE: “Ditch the Degrees” column by Julian Tomlinson ( TB, 21/ 6).

Those wretched “leftie” universities are complemented by VET courses, TAFE and apprenticeships. How would tens of thousands of jobs miraculously appear for uni students and redundant staff with your slash and burn suggestion?

The Government would be handing out more for unemployment benefits than tertiary education. Your view exemplifies one problem with expert advice coming from a “what I’ve seen and heard” soapbox.

I can assure you, from practical experience as an educator for 40 years, with post- grad qualifications ( sorry about that), teachers and childcare staff are not babysitters.

We are in an unprecedented era of technological and social change.

To suggest that new teachers can be adequately mentored by the system where some prefer chalk to iPads, is ill- informed. Many who enter a teaching degree find early on, through rigorous coursework and moderated “practice” teaching, that it’s not for them.

Would parents want their children to be the unfortunate guinea pigs while unsuitables “learn on the job” until ejected?

Teaching is highly complex. You can edit a newspaper article endlessly but you can’t unteach a bad lesson, assist children with learning challenges or provide specialist input like music with such a simplistic view of tertiary “education”.

University is not just about wanting a career either. It’s never too late to learn. U3A is a wonderful example. L. ASHTON, Kelso.