APPOINTMENTS OF TEACHERS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 429, 11 February 1909, Page 9

APPOINTMENTS OF TEACHERS.

.'• : generally be .conceded that• .the '^method?• of appointment ; that<.has: in : :thiß; Dominion for the:;past ? three' years'' has done/More to imperil'thb effleiciicy Jof 'the beaching' service than'any other Bhprk 'coming :.thaiT caivvbc. urged against ;6urVcdii-. catiohal .'system;? For.'.throe. years .''past, the. 'appointments pf : tedchers /have,practically.. bcon : in 'the -hands of.-, school, committees, ;.y I' do. -.not, propose.- to., urge: again - the" reasons : :why, : .amongst all: the : many elements ;iniour. hybrid, education, system,: school -committees; aro/thcr'loast .fitted, .to exercise :.the ..import-: ant'.function: that'was by "Jaw 'allotted; to them,.' These -reasons -.have 'b>jn urged, ad : nauseam'.''"..Tho.'/'teaching'; profession, .as': a. result,'seethedrtfith' discontent and unrest,' aiid.a'.ceritralised;:system, of -appointments:' and promptio'n's. was .freely-'talked-, of, I "The Now. Zealand Eduoatibnal Instituto.snbmitted the outline'-'of;such.a.'system:to.the,Minister for 'Eduoatioriv last ; r year;'. it': met withibut ■scant wbrkabla:meant away of '.. yet another: prerogative s'bf;.Education:: Boardsj l ' and the trail of the political Berpent is.olrer; all.things.. .But the Minister:evidently. 1 recognised the iieed'forTofonnsomowhPre, ; arid: Section l4'of tlio Education Act Amendment■ Act of 1908/waß the result. ..What'principle should govern ; the State ,iu. appointing any public ,officer—teacher or. : : civil, .servant? There can be only one, and .that is:'".'' Efficiency;". The bost judges of the .relativ'o efficiency. : of a number •• of,' applicants. for' a vacant'-position in .a school are .th<K school' inspectors. They sec most of:tho-applicants, at work—|f the applicants-come from out-' Bido districts the inspectors of thaw districts

are able.to give confidential reports to th'eif !';•/■■-.-' colleagues—they ; know -the 'capacities. ■-" of.;, //. each-man.and'woman-;'iii„the service, they;."- / know the claims';of ;'eaoh'to promotion, and; ■': they know the requirements of each school'-.; .-.'.../ and • school district. ■:■': If Education Boards/■/..'-.: wore really actuated by a fine.sense of publio l--'-, spirit/ if the' tiiembers..thereof -would-hon-'/ / cstly-. divest thomselves/bf/the ignoble deeiro-' ' to. bestow petty, patronage .with the: State ;•' money and determine to administer -v oatioiiiil requirements'.of■■',-their district with ;./ honesty and integrity, then, they would rely .; on. the /confidential-reports:' of ;their insr^c-//; torial staffs and /make appointments-, in' ac-: ;//' cordance with; the recommendations embodied ;. in; such reports.-' 3 Such'.-a:.:procedure' was"/,'. clearly /contemplated'.by'- : .the".amondin'g/Act '"/ of 1908; and 'if- Educatiofi/Boardß do not, 0r...;• .;. cannot, read.the writing on the wall,.the dis-i-., : ; : establishment, of ; the present. system of. local-.;/- "--, ised education '.;•'■ of/a: centralised system is a' foregone coni- /;... elusion.". Does-efficiency/, merit/.,' experience, !'/. count? -In the ..majority;of■ cases 1 assuredly/; not; it is. an open secret--that- Such .adepts.;.■■'■ • ■■ have'many: teachers'become';in the arts : "of,.V,: log-rolling, and wire-pulling)' that,others, who'///-. ecorri' to .resort to/such; trickery/:, are/" grow-/// ine/ashamed/of ,'thoir' : profession. :/.;:':.:.•.•/■;!' ,,:: ;-. I am:.led to;rnake these;remarks',by' the/:/ / conditions ■ of' matters educational; in' this dis-''■ : ' trict of .Wellington..':l think JtwillbefreelyV// admitted,'that., the .Wellington' Education->'•' Board has committed a bilge blunder in the //; method it has adopted in ..administering .the - new; Act. ; That Act, in; its fourteenth clause'"' (paragraph six), .clearly /gives the . Board-."■ -;• power to .send on ; ;to-school committees ,tho,.; .: : teacher, only. 'The /committee/-/ ;mav,:if ; it'.'chboses,^^ make and/the board 'shall.;;/ consider'.-; such -opinion.- or .recommendation/,' A; but. it has/power to make the',' appointment.:/;/ Why -has our Education Board not had; sufs-> '-: cient; back-bone-tpusaithe,power tbns given.-;) ■-- it.: by: parliamentary .-enactm.ent ?.//Why had fV, it not the courage;;td/revert:;to ;What"wa3/i;"/ practically.the method, of appointingiteachers••':• ■ in. this- district,/before -.the'- Act; of 1906, was./';; passed?//Teachers,.,'sir/: were;'hoping.'-'that'-;/*; the'bad -old times: had: passed/away;..that..-,..■ one Could put-/in '.'■. an/application 'for a .'posi-.', v l tioh/ .andj .• having, .done: that/ do /no//;, more, than "rest.assured .that 'the .application/,,, would ;.be/;tfeat'cd.-oiL-vits'-'-taeTiteV'f.-'an^-;;thiit , ';"'y justice'.'would be/done'./; ■:phe;fonlMy/hbpe&/ ! ■";/ that,:for"teachprs!at least,/tbe rolling and;wire-pulling,;..of/interviewing and-': button-holing;' -v/ your'chiirclitojwork for you, were/gone. ..'• ; -TheWellingtoa Educatioii/Board, which/, in ; - times.past en jor,ed;. such; prestige amongst the:;/; eduoation'-boii'ds '.of.'.this'couhtry^/has,.fallen /'- from; its'higK;;estate, -for it; his created "the;;/; 1 precedent; of. sending: on, to- the; sohdol.; com-;■;/.:. jmittees/; listsr containing ;twp,' -three./or, four./V; 'names! ; the.cdmmittee/sha.ll.-.select-erie"'name^^ : so/Bent;;',;': oh','/and. board -shall confirm'■ ; the/appoint/// ment; of .the '■'. applicant '• of M, the ' name -so ■-// scleeWi'./' ? ;./TKus;-.. ; created^a-.precedenfc'.which::Teayes the;power;./:;'; .of :appointmc;rit.in 'the"hands of-scbopl cdm-, I ',/. mitteesi / Tlie/Act/clearlyl gave; the/board;J \ power'tq-make/tho.appoihtmcntJtself/. How-.v; ' ever'., estiniable,; member's /of/ school...cornmitr.■;',/;;; tees may be'.'ns'privat'o/citizen's,':they;Cannot'-,.';/ be; : considered ;.'comrjetent real /relative /merits; of; a/number : of/anpli/-: .',;> .cants', for /a/ vacancy :,iri.; tli eir. school; ;YAr.long// / as such -a will- the>// efficiency;'.'of;'..the',',schools" pe;:.irripaired/..-'/arid-::,',;, so/long .will/the.|inal6rity-of ; ;teiich"er"s:.be/dis-:;/, contented!—l/am;'etc.;;;/-'/r,:^/'-/////';:'/^'///