LEAVE FOR SCHOOL' TEACHERS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20092, 22 November 1930, Page 17

LEAVE FOR SCHOOL' TEACHERS.

EXTRAORDINARY POSITION EVIDENCE OF STATISTICS. Figures showing the percentage of primary 6chool teachers in the Dominion. who were given sick or special leave for more than a week during tsie past year, occasioned surprise, when they were produced before yesterday's meeting, of the Canterbury Education Board. They proved that, in the Wellington Education district, nearly half the primary teachers employed had such leave, that, in Canterbury, nearly a third of them had it, while in Nelson it was granted to less than a fifth of the number employed. Members thought that an extraordinary position, which they were at g. loss to account for, had been disclosed. | They doubted whether the teachers themselves realised what such leave amounted to in the aggregate. An attempt is to be made to estimate what it costs the country annually. Percentages Shown. The following table shows the percentage of teachers granted sick or special leave for more than a week, in the different education districts:— Wellington .. .. 43.9 Taranaki .. .. 40.2 Southland .. .. 36.9 Auckland ..., . 36.3 Otago .. . 30.8 Canterbury ... 32.1 Wanganui .. ..32 Hawke's Bay .. .. 29.1 Nelson .. 17.4 The returns, which are compiled by the Education Department, are for the last school year. Mr E. Wild held that the table was most illuminating, for he did not think that even the teachers themselves realised what leave they were getting, or what this was costing the country. When absent on special or sick leave their pay went on for a month, while relieving teachers had to be paid to fill their places. The table related to teachers who had been given more than a week's leave, those who had been absent for a shorter period than this not being included.

Chairman Astonished. The chairman (Mr W. A. Banks) confessed that the figures astonished him. "For twenty years I was a headmaster, and never had a day oft, except the usual holidays," he remarked. It would be seen, he added, that nearly half of the teachers in Wellington obtained leave for more than a week in the year. Canterbury was fairly well down the list, while Nelson was by far the lowest. It seemed t©" be a case of "sunny Nelson " right enough, because it appear- ' ed that the health of the teachers was affected according to the districts in. which they lived. Perhaps the inspectors worked them harder in one district than in another. Neurasthenic Troubles. "Many of the teachers' troubles are neurasthenic," remarked Mr Wild, "and with the ever-increasing curriculum of the primary schools I do not know whether the teachers are feeling the strain too much. I do not think they know how much leave they have been given. Mr Walter Johnson: This Board is encouraging them by giving leave where it is not warranted. You know I have spoken against it more than once. Members were anxious to know how much this granting of leave was costing the country each year, and a committee, consisting of Messrs Banks, Wild, and C. S. Thompson, was set up to translate the figures into terms of cost, and report to the next meeting.