A HELPING HAND

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1189, 26 July 1911, Page 8

A HELPING HAND

TO UNCEKTIFICATED TEACHERS. Some time ago tho Otago Education Board considered the question of (he preparation- of the uncortific.ited teachers in its employ for tho certificate examinations, and found that tho adoption of any adequate scheme for tho providing cf tuition for such teachers would involve an outlay quite beyond tho resources of the board. .Apart from the financial aspect,' the board was of opinion that the preparation of such teachers for the Department's examinations, was a. matter for the Department, and not for the boards. Aa tjiis subject all'ected every education district, and one the importance df which bas no doubt forced itself upon tho attention of every board in tho Dominion, tho Ota go Board solicited tho Wellington Board's support in a request to the Do. iiartmcnt for Uio establishment- by tho latter of correspondence classes for uucertificated teachers. Importing on this matter, the Wellington Board's inspectors, to whom the Otago Board's request was referred, stated that "the establishment of correspondence dasses for the tuition of uncertifieatcd teachers might very easily develop into a means of cnlraiicc into the profession of teaching, more especially if such cl.irsm wove rocwrniscd by the Department or tho hoard, an.! as Ihe training colleges wore established for the training of teachers, no Uiink that any system of I raining apart from that, given !>y theso colleges should not receive any encouragement by way of grants. We recognise that I here are itnccrtificalod teachers deserving of help and encouragement, and this encouragement might, be. given by extending the scope of tho kainiii" collide, regulations, under which admission is graiitwl I" certain un cert Hica led (crehers , from schools not higher than Grade IN. In addition, encouragement might l>n given li> such teachers l.a improve their status by the establishment of winter and smnnipr_schools, of, say, a month's duration at the training colleges, and we eciisidei , that money spent in this w.iy would givo a better return than if spent in the encouragement of correspondence classes." The above report was tabled at tho board's meeting yesterday, and adopted without discussion.