Pre-reading questions:
- Have you experienced studying abroad?
- What do you think is the best university in Japan?
- How important are teachers in the lives of the students?
England, a country that is part of the United Kingdom, is experiencing a growing scarcity of teachers. Many teachers already left their jobs and a lot more are set to resign soon. Teachers in key subjects such as Math and Science are urgently needed as the number of students is increasing.
As per statistics from the official government, the total number of full-time teachers in secondary schools went down by 10,000 between 2010 and 2015. Malcolm Trobe, general secretary of the Association of School and College leaders, said that many teachers’ major concern was unmanageable workload.
Vocabulary:
resign – voluntarily leaving a job
scarcity – lack in supply
urgently – requiring immediate action or attention
rise – go up
workload – the amount of work needed to be done by someone
Comprehension Questions:
- Which country in the United Kingdom is experiencing a shortage in teachers?
- What key subjects are urgently in need of teacher?
- How many teachers did England lose between 2010 and 2015?
- Who is Malcolm Trobe?
- What was the major concern of most teacher who left their positions?
Express Your Opinion:
- What do you think the UK government should do to keep their teachers from leaving their jobs?
- How will teacher shortage affect the quality of education in England?
- Do you believe that teaching is a noble profession? Please explain your answer.