TEACHERS IN COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 710, 8 January 1910, Page 4

TEACHERS IN COUNCIL.

;-. ; BEyiB)viNQ ;the. 'results -iof/;;the:' .liberations ;of the/-T.eacliers'; Confer-, ence,; which concluded■',.',' its : :. labours' yesterday^.we , fiid, that the 'Institute' has 'itself:' wiffifcomineiJd* . 'abl6!:'sindenty,''-'and:'inVJtt.lji6foughly .'practical .Avay,/,-tdi-'varipus'tiniportaint' ' quqstibhs-in/'edu'eatibn: ! /coiicerniiig .which/.the publib'stands' , in riced',. : of: : some enligfitenmont'. , The.;cohclugipns 7 :arrived,-at,'aie r -of xourse'j-./.merely.- : :SuggfistiTCi;, : and-mdst';of;.-theriivaro::ofr : : siifficieht/.significanco tb;engage _the serious 'attention , i^.df .the:'controlling ; ■authbrities;;v' :c Theyinpst3conspicupus ; result of .the'^.TOnfe>ence,has ( : '.bcen'the -complete , :'surrcn'der -of : ,the.,.lnstitutc: - to■ tho' principle,/of'centralised ;'con-/ ■ trol,;although'it'is riot-at , all certain- . that.'thei.teachersliayo'fully:realised ' the fact;;; .Certain, .deyelbpmerits;,in' oducati6n'^itJiin : the';last;fewv,years; -have.assisted.::to-'createi'.ai.BituaWon/ ;which/>ppoarß: tobo capable:,of;im- , provement only by/the' applicatioii of ;■ ;the.principleiof'tientrahsationVv'The'. -.' three; most ; important:'factors. in'- the' ■ situation .'a'rej;firstly,.'the;desire'.:for ; .-a'vuniform; ■•;' of;--the:, Bchool syllabusj .secdndlyj/ithd.agita-. tion for a national. system, of- classification and promotion; andj/.thirdly, th.e;circurnstance;that:;the/saiaries of , teachers a'na-. ; ■ • 'v./It'is.-abun'dantry^clearV-thatrsome , : dflfinite';and.immediate step';is/neces- " sary.if:tho confusion'. , and waste; 'of time and. bnergy: dccasioned': byV'/.an; / ; unwieldy lea ves/so' inuch; to ;bc: ; understood "■■a're'.-t'ojb'e.Jre-' moved. ,•.;Regular; conferences; of ;all: the conferences ' .haVd/been 1 ihaugurated-7mayv:lea;d/to. the; evolving of a standard interprc.tatipn : of the, cardinal; : aims' of ; the ': ■■ syllabus, /; with, minor '.variations to: : .suit; ; .Ji6''-.'p i eculkr;cirdumßtanoes ; -;'''';of- : each' district;. But in:;the. opinion ■;of - the. Teachers'./Institutethe, only \Vay of .'escapo from the ■ present .'.uncer-; ,tainty';..which.:surrounds.the:'syllabus ; is the .'creatidn:6f, a; centralised:; in-, /When/ithero,is ; added 1 to( ■ that.avnatidnal system ;of .classifying ; and prompting ; teacH6i ; s--and' the ne- ■ cessity "for/suciK 'a''.system':has' also :, been .affirmed-, by/'the , -^lnstitute— l the- -.• essential;:elements of, a:<-'centralised. ' 'system are,complete.: We/ are bound 7 to agree liWith the.:cpntentiori- that. ;■ nothing shprt of a/natipnal,system of classification and p'romotiotf .willen- i able deserving teachers,in thoismaller' '■ education', districts :.tq secure fairer . conditions of professional 'jidyance-. \ 'ment.'.:.TKe/merging : 6f 'these., dis-; ; ;tri'cts into the larger.pnes!would,?fdr i gedgrapbical: : .;, and , administratiye ■' jreasons, ; in , some cases ; af.leasti 'be ' neithdr/'practicable nor- . wise.-;-: .-It' comes to, this, .then, that Awhile, a:uni- ] ■form the/syllabus ■') and a national Bcale; of Salaries are '; inconsistent with the con- ] tiniiity of the system of ilocalcdntrol,' j the acdeptance..of.tho;'th:ird.factbr— ' national classification, and promotion | of .teachers—l9aves;.nd: r ; alternative - ( but tho 'creation of a'"central system. ' o-f government,' : for a centralised in- : spectorafe becomes thetf.-a matter of; j .course. Theoretically, su'eh: a system J seems to offer' an admirable solution'. ■ of fche difficulties .of: the; present situ- ,j atioh, and.were it possible to obtain j a, contral : administration ■ removed ;i 'and absolutely'independent of the ' political power, we would not hesi- j tate : to advocate its. establishment. ;j The'danger of investing the political ( authority with arbitrary powers of ( "administration is so great, however, < that? teachers will'do, /well- to., con- ; . sider ; whether the advantages , .to-be i [gained by ; such a system would/out- i ' weigh the:evils inseparable.from any : j systein open. to,.the .taint: of: party : -politics.: , ',■■'.' . -.', -.' : :'.".. •■' /. ;, : .Another important cdnclusiori ar- , rived at by the conference was. that ~ relating-; to'the inadequacy of' .the' ;-, salaries at present paid to'assistants ( in the secondary: departments, of die- j triet high schools." Other things be- -i ing equal, it is clear that, in a liter- ' 'ary ' sense, tho ■ secondary school ] toaoher should bo more highly quali- ]

t fled than the primary school teacher. - But highly qualified teachers will not' be , persuaded to take up positions in secondary classes if they can obtain f better salaries in primary '■'-. depart-' . ments. The'disparity between the '■ salaries at present offered.to primary 1 and secondary assistants'is not cal- - Culatod to. bring about an efficient 3 staffing of'the secondary departments ! of our district-high schools.. The Inj stifcutc has also!' done good -. service I in exposing.a; condition of things which inefficiency in-the small 1 country schools. ' . We... refer to the ; matter of. ex-students of - the train- - ing colleges taking sole- -charge. of f small;schools in the. country before - gaining -some' practical .', experience, t in junioi^positions'in larger schools; r to contend that two years'. ■ experience in a'training college, 1 is sufficient preparation.for the respori- ■ sibility or taking sole, of a i country school. It is.a.'responsibil- , ity tool serioiiß'-''.'.for such- -young i shoulders -to carry,'and ,is,, neither. , fair to the:tcacher;rior/to)the:school , 'district-concerned. Very timely, alsoj were the , candid ; utterances on the ' subject of tho,training:of,the teach : ; ers,' delivered; by .Pbotessor' Hunter i; during the course of-aletturc to the , toachors.v.-Professor. HitrNTEßspoko . clearly, and'to tho point,'-and : we are' , content .to generally, endorse, his- re: ,' marks.;': withoutV further comment.- ' Eeprescritatives: ,';' of' -~' the; :';lnsti-1 will 'wait; on';the 'Minister for ■■ 1 rEducation;' and lay before him the I conclusions;.arrived; at' 'during' the f ! conference, 'which:may i r;be ; ;'expeoied ■ to'revive the attention: that their impprtance. : deinands..'::;''■':'-.;,; ..V -