NOTES ON EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 834, 4 June 1910, Page 13

NOTES ON EDUCATION.

(By "Soosateb.") Not long ago there appeared in theso notes a reference to the professional outlook for teachers in. England." It was mentioned that the profession was, according to a circular letter issued by.the National Union of Teachers, in a. very bad way indeed, so bad, in fact, that the union had considered it necessary to warn parents and guardians to choose other spheres of activity for their children, as the supply of teachers greatly exceeded the demand. Curiously enough, the British Board of Education takes quite the opposite view, and its annual report, issued recently, warned the Government that there is likely to be a shortage of teachers [or elementary sclicols in. a. few years. Parents, it is pointed out, wero apt to be alarmed by tlio suggestion that a profession Ho which the approach is guarded by a lons and comparatively arduous preliminary staie of training,, was likely to be overstocked, and at the present moment nn iilfn was being disseminated that a lurge proportion of young persons newly trained and qualified for teaching posts, will find themselves permanently unable to obtain eniploy-m-nt. To this the board replies:— "Not only is it not tho case that the profession is seriously overstocked at present, but the fullest study which the material available has permitted of the whole problem of supply and demand for the teaching profession, as a national question, has forced the board to the unwelcome conclusion that there is danger of a serious shortage in a very few years' time in the supply of qualified adult teachers, a shortage which is bound to ■ have a damaging effect on the improvement of elementary .schools in England." The president of the National Union of Teachers, replying to the above, said:— "We nave never said that the young persons newly trained would find themselves permanently unable to obtain employment. Whnt we hnvo said, and what wo are prepared to prove, is that undei> tlie present conditions of staffing in our schools many newly qualified teachers, trained at considerable expense to the public, in addition to private expenditure, find themselves unable to obtain employment for many months, or even a year or more, after leaving college, while tens of thousands of classes in ,, the schools are being taught by unqualified teachers. . . . I quite agree that unless stops are taken to deal with this matter of supply there will be a very serious shortage of properly qualified teachers in a few years' time. Parents are not likely to make years of sacrifice in order to prepare their children for the teaching profession only to find at the end of their college career, just as they are entering on manhood and womanhood, no suitable places open for them. Yet there is absolutely no need for one of these young people to be out of a place if the Board of Education insisted on the employment of properly qualified teachers. In the schools of England and Wales there are more than 18,000 supplementary teachers employed, that is, teachers who have absolutely no qualification, either academic or jirofessionul, for the work in which they are eiiTaqed. The board is allowing new teacher.-; of this class to. be appointed, while fully qualified trained teachers nre idle. Another very strong reason why there is likely to bo a dearth in the near future is that many education authorities, oppressed with the heavy rate burden, endeavour to secure relief by breaking contract with the teachers with rrgai'd to their scales of salaries. It has only been by continued efforts Hint the union lias been able to proyeut this disastrous policy from being carried out, and a grave conflict averted."

The first report of the workinj? of the Education (Provision of Meals) Act, 1906, was issued recently by the British Board of Education. The leading figures show that the weekly average number of children fed in London was 39,632, and tho average cost of the meals about 2d. At Sunderland 1,0G6,900 'meals were provided without expenditure from the rates. It cannot be said, it is stated, on the information which the board have received, that there is no difference of opinion on the question whether " the meals have increased the mental efficiency of the children; but, on tho whole, reports testify to improvement. The following are among reports received :— Birkenhead.—"Children brighter, more regular, better fitted for work." Birmingham.—"Beyond question, a distinct improvement has taken place in the ability of the children to take full ndvantngc of the education given." Bradford.—"l 43 teachers said the meals had improved tho cinncity of the children; 33 took the opposite view." Bristol.—"ln a fortnight after the commencement of tho meals to necessitous children, the improvement in their physical condition became apparent." Wallasey.—"ln several cases the dull, tired, and frequently bored look about the children has disappeared." Gillingham.—"The development of the intellectual ability of the children was very marked in some cases." "In a large number of cases it is clear that the authorities have, by providing clean tablecloths once a week, by methodical service, by prescribing the saying or singing of grace, and by requiring tho children to come with washed hands and faces, and to sit quietly at table, sought to secure some special training in deportment." An interesting experiment was carried out by the medical officr of health of Northampton. A preliminary list of 375 children was compiled by the teachers; this was reduced to 81. They underwent an examination, in which ago, height, weight, nutrition, general health, and cleanliness wero considered. For 14 weeks H of these children each received breakfast and dinner. The breakfasts were cocoa and milk, bread nnd margarine, and porridge, and a stick of chocolate. These U children who received meuk were weighed weekly, and similar records were kept of JO who did not receive the meals. The "fed" children gained in weight, the others did not, and during the Easter holidays of ten days the "fed" children lost weight and the 40 others gained. The dietaries arranged by various local bodies are not without interest. The Bradford Local Authority fixed the charge of meals at 2d. A week's dietary is:— Monday.—Lentil and tomato soup; currant and roly-poly pudding. Tuesday.— Meat pudding and ground-rice pudding. Wednesday.—Yorkshire pudding, gravy, peas, rice, and sultanas. Thursday.— Scotch barley broth, currant pastry, or fruit tart. Friday.—Stewed fish, parsley sauce, pens, mnslicd potatoes, and cornflour blancmange. All these meals included bread. At Brighton, the charge for meals was Hd., and the dietary was:— Winter months.—One Irish, stow, with 2oz. bread; two soup dinners, with i oz. bread; one currant suet pudding dinner; one rnisin suet pudding dinner; Summer months.—Two soup dinners, one raisin suet pudding dinner, one bread and margarine and banana dinner, one currant bread and margarine dinner.