Wed, 17 Jan 2007 01:46:09 GMT

Teaching viewed as a ‘low-status job’. The low tertiary entrance score required to become a teacher has undermined the status of the profession and the standing of teachers in the eyes of parents and the community. A study by the federal Education Department says students are rejecting teaching as a career and that parents consider it a “low-status job” and “semi-professional”. The study, Attitudes to Teaching as a Career, analyses research from around the world about the regard in which teaching is held, and confirms the view expressed by prominent Australian scientists and educators that low scores detract from the prestige of science and science teaching. [School Education Headlines]