REDUCING THEIR STATUS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 936, 1 October 1910, Page 12

REDUCING THEIR STATUS.

TEACHERS, BOARDS, AND THE LAW,

• Our Auokland correspondent writee:— i.The■ Alickland /Education Boardspent a ; good'"deal.'of'.'time- this..'w«£''i&iari!ls'' a. deputation from the Maungatapero iSchool Committee (near Whangarei), asking for the removal of the headmaster,' and'considering'the matter of the Mount. Koslulr School, v In connection with the' latter school : complaints ■ were made,, among others, of, late opening. Both matters were dealt, with 1 in committee. When the board; resumed the chairman (Mr. C. J. Parr) reported that an inquiry » would bo immediately held'into- the state v of , affairs at Maungatapero, which had lately distinguished itself in -the. Police .Court. It was deplorable, that, there, should bo such a state of things in any country' district.: An inspector was to make a full inquiry, ; and;, the. board would '.wait the report before taking any action. There was also dissatisfaction at Mount '.-Boskill, and this ;had been very fully , gone into. The committee ,and.practically the. whole of, the residents' were dissatisfied with the position of affairs at that school. The matter had been investigated by Mr. : Pluminer, and the Chief . Inspector, and it would be necessary for the board to take some action to remedy a .state of affairs in the district;which was,not making for the good of education. The question " had been . adjourned' for. a, fortnight, V pending, further inquiries.' i■ Speaking' generally, the chairman ,:reinarked that there were a few head teachers under the board who were not doing altogther satisfactory work. , - The ■ secretary:. About six or seven., •Mr. Parr said • that; hitherto the board had had some difficulty in dealing ..with such cases, because the fear of the Court of . Appeal had always been before it, if a teacher were'removed to a lower , position. He was happy' to 'say that the new. Act, 'now; before th 6 House,', • would provide,' boards' : and' oommittees' with a remedy. Power was given in the Act,, to transfer' a- teacher: who 'waa unsatisfactory in one position to some lower position, if such latter position were the one for, which the teacher was better fitted.' In such a case , the Court of Ap..peal would , not interfere.This, would: help the board and the committees, with whom the board had every sympathy,. to deal satisfactorily with these difficult cases,- which, he was glad to say, were few in number. After all, the 'interests'; of the children-must be the paramount consideration with the: board, and legislation ' that recognised- the .necessity, of these cases being doalt with in a; drastic manner must' commend itself to the board and the.committee.