EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE,

Clutha Leader, Volume V, Issue 209, 12 July 1878, Page 6

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

The Clutha branch of the Otago Educational Institute met in the school here on Saturday. There were present Messrs ME wan (President), M'Nour (Secretary), Grigor, Port-eons, Purvis, Christie, Ivl'Kay, the Rev. W. Baunerman, and Fleming.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.

Tho Chairman said he noticed he was expected to deliver- an inaugural address. Instead of doing this he had adopted a course wliich he was sure would have the approbation of the meeting. He had got Mr Bannerman to agree to read a paper instead.

The Rev. Mr Bannerman read a paper reviewing the arrangements adopted by the Board of Education at their mooting on the llth ult. After stating the grounds on wliich he considered that as a branch of the Educational Institute they wore entitled to consider, and if necessary oxpress an opinion on the proceedings of the Education Board, proceedings that necessarily bear on the interests of the teachers, and of education generally, he spoke approvingly of the care and consideration shown by the Board in tho preparation of the regulations they had adopted in reference to the important matters that were then before them. He considered that the Board had shown considerable anxiety to do the best they could with the means at their command both for teachers and for District Committees. At the same time, it was evident from the scale of salaries adopted by the Board that not a few of the teachers would find themselves the recipients of smaller incomes than hitherto. This he thought should have been guarded against, more especially as their incomes had in past times been in no ca3e higher than they ought to have been. The Board had found inequalities existing in the salaries of teachers who had had tho same averago attendance. To some of these reference had been made in the report adopted by the Board, but the cases had not been mentioned by name. Had the cases been mentioned, it would in all probability have been found that the higher salaries given arose from the peculiar locality in wliich the schools had existed to which the higher salaries had been attached. It was well known that the cost of living differed materially in different parts of the countiy, necessitating in such places as Queenstown, Alexandra, and the like, higher salaries than in places nearer market and where lesser prices ruled. To secure the higher salaries, higher rates of fees had been exacted or subscriptions raised to supply .what was lacking, to afford the teacher a salary commensurate with the cost of living. Inequalities in salary thus existed of very necessity ; and though teachers having the same average attendance as others may have received nominally a larger salary, in reality it might have been no greater, just because in some places twenty shillings do not go so far as they do elsewhere. Shutting their eyes to this fact, the Board had adopted a hard and fast rule applicable to all teachers, giving to all having a like attendance the same amount of salary, irrespective of the

differences existing in the different parts of the country. By that arrangement they have' not only placed many teachers in a . worse position pecuniarily than they had been . before, but have introduced inequalities of salary far more injurious than had existed under the old regime. Of course it might be said that districts could raise subscriptions to make their teachers' salaries such as they had previously been, but then would not this destroy the whole character of education, no longer froe 1 Would not the introduction of partial payment by th* district render nugatory tho compulsory clause of tho Act? And, further, would not this mode of supporting education open up tho door for the admission of a claim on the part of those thus maintaining education to some share with the Board in determining tho instruction to, be imparted within the school 1 Divided support must sooner or later result in divided government. The result of making everywhere the same in amount where the attendance was the same would necessarily be that teachers in remote and expensive districts would be especially changed, to the great hindrance of the children's progress," and consequently to the frustrating the very purpose for which the Board existed. Remote and expensive districts could not obtain good and experienced teachers if no more than the ■ Board's allowance was received, or if they by chance obtain such a teacher, he would 'find his position so unsatisfactory in a pej cuniaiy point of view, tliat he would be speedily on the outlook for pastures new, and more likely to be adequate. The Board, in his opinion, ought to have mado provision for the unequal circumstances of the country, not regulating for every instance of difference but by the adoption of such rates of payment as would have included those having in general a common character, recognising the causes that gave rise to those inequalities which they have sought to remove. The like objection lay in connection with the common distribution of funds to the District Committees for certain specified purposes." According to attendance they were to share alike. Doubtless it was a boon to Committees to receive an amount, relieving them as it did from not a few difficulties that had oppressed them in time past. But while granting that, he considered that tho Board rather unfairly distributed the funds available for Committees, inasmuch as no regard had been had to the circumstances of the several schools, some of which were newly started, and partially supplied with school appurtenances, while others were of older establishment, and were in consequence well supplied with what was needed. Yet they were to secure like allowances, to be expended on like objects. The result would be that some would have too little for their wants, and that others would receive more than they needed. And not only so, but remote districts would not find their allowance accomplishing so much as in tho case of districts nearer Dunedin, where labour and freight are less expensive. As a hard and fast rule of common payments could not fail to be injurious to teachers, a like rule could not fail to prove such also to committees. He strongly objected to the principle of payment according to average attendance. Teachers could not secure regular attendance on the part of their scholars. The causes that generally led to non-attendance teachers could not control, neither could they be accountable for them. Then causes such as distance, the weather, the state of the roads, the need that parents in rural districts occasionally had for the help of their children, necessarily interfered with the attendance of a largo portion of the scholars, and in consequence the average attendance was greatly affected. To make such attendance the basis of payment of salary was virtually to pay tho teachers, as if they were responsible for the non-attendance of their pupils. It was virtually to make tlie state of the roads, the weather, or even the greed of parents tho criterion of salary. Such a principle of payment as an average attendance 'must materially lessen many salaries hitherto received, these salaries having been mado up to their amount by fees, wliich were paid each quarter without regard to the days of nonattendance. In consequence, not a few teachers would be more poorly paid than before. Besides, payment by average attendance placed teachers in towns such as Baiclutha, in a far hotter position than teachers in rural districts. In tho. case of the former, the attendance of their scholars can well bo regular, compared with what it can be in the case of the scholars of the latter. Distance does not affect them, neither can the weather, and thus their average will as a matter of course be ever greater than the average of the others. Thoro might be some show of reason for payment on this basis were tho labours of the teacher lessened in consequence of irregular attendance ; but, unfortunately, the reverse was the case. The teacher's labour was increased ; for had he not to expend more attention and labour upon the occasional absentees when they were present, to bring them up to tlie level of the more regular attenders in the same class, so that they should appear creditably on the visit of the Inspector. Nonattendance had increased the anxiety and labour of teachers, and for this the average principle made them suffer in their pocket. After referring to the probability that in consequence of education costing parents nothing they might be less earnest in seeing to their childrens' attendance, and alluding in this connection to the plan of Dr Chalmers (exacting a small fee in connection with his territorial schools, with the view of securing attendance), he reminded his hearers that a large proportion of scholars attending rural schools were outside the limit within which compulsory attendance could be enforced, many of them living three and even, four miles from school. Exempted from compulsory attendance, it was. easy to conceive how readily pleas for non-attendance would arise in .such circumstances, and such regular attendance fail as would materially affect the support of the teacher. In the matter of payment, he considered regard should be had to the number on the roll ; that the teacher should receive so much for each pupil on the roll, calculated on the basis of the mhiimum salary that has been adopted on" the basis of average attendance — the amount to be supplemented by the class bonus agreed to. If the principle of average attendance was maintained, he considered that that average should be taken only of those within the limit that compulsory attendance could be enforced,

and that all beyond that limit on the roll should be calculated as increasing- -that average as if -they were ih regular attend-, ance. Unless some -such arrangements were adopted, payment on the average attendance could uot fail to be injurious to,--a very large proportion of the teachers. In reference to the relations between the Board and the Dunedin _ Committee, he approved of the action' taken by the latter, and thought the former had committed two mistakes — first, by allowing a Committee ,of its members unauthorised to put itself in communication with the Dnnedin Committee ; and secondly, in putting upon the required", consultation" with the Committee the minimum of . interpretation. He, thought Committeemen better fitted for the election of teacher than tho Board, ignorant to a large extent of the special requirements of districts. Tho Board's appointments would in reality be Inspector's nomineeism. The Board j expressed it to be-' their principle to secure promotion for teachers. Would not this be the case were the election in the hands of Committees ? Would Committees not be desirous to obtain' a good teacher as well as the Board 1 'Neither the Board nor Committee could get for a small school a teacher from the larger school ; 'but a good teacher in a small school would be equally eligible by either for a larger one, and there boch would require to look. In his own experience he had found that when by a Committee an appointment had made on the advice of the Inspector the result had proved less favourable than when, for the same school, an appointment had been made on the alone judgment of the Committee. He believed that that would be found to be generally tho ease. Let the rule be that none but certificated teachers should be eligible, and the matter may well be left to the Committee. He took this opportunity of repelling the charge which some newspaper writers were in the habit of laying against country School Committees. He had for more than twenty years heen connected with various School Committees, and had had some experience. He would appeal to the teachers present in that room, if any of them could lay any such charge against their Committees. He believed that country Committees were for the most part composed of men as alive to the interests of education, and as anxious to promote the comfort of their teachers as their libellers could possibly be. Perhaps if these had had a little experience of school committee work their pens would have written another story. In conclusion, he condemned the Dunedin Committee for having, in secret conclave with a committee of the Board, come to an iindorstanding with the Board without having communicated with other committees, whose interests as well as their own they had professed to maintain. The Danedin Committee seemed touched with the same high-handed mania which they had attributed to the Board.'

Messrs Grigor, Purvis, M'jSTeur, and the Chairman spoke upon the same subject, expressing their _ concurrence generally in the line of* argument pursued by Mr Bannerman, and expressing the obligations that gentleman had placed them under for hia valuable and practical paper. Mr Fleming considered the members should do something more than, merely listen to and discuss such papers. He thought they should adopt some steps with a view to giving effect to -their opinions upon the subjects brought forward. The members of the Education Board ho had no doubt were most anxious to carry oat their duties to' the advantage of teachers and all concerned, and would only be too glad of suggestions from those most interested. He suggested tliat resolutions, embodying the views expressed in the paper should be prepared and forwarded to the Board of Managers of the Institute, with a view to their being laid before the various branches for their approval, and afterwards forwarded to the Education Board. The result, he thought, might' be a remedy of the anomalies'complained of.

The suggestion was adopted, and Roy. Mr Bannerman, and Messrs Grigor and Fleming wero appointed a sub-committee to give effect to the same.

After some formal business the meeting adjourned.