ROUGHING IT.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1399, 27 March 1912, Page 6

ROUGHING IT.

THE COUNTRY SCHOOL. , WOMEN' TEACFIEKS SCAECE. A paragraph in the annual report of the Wellington Education Hoard's inspectors evoked a short but illuminating discussion nt the board's meeting yesterday on the difficulty of properly staffing the coimliy schools on account of Hie disinclination of women teachers to apply for positions away from the centres. "The difficulties of management owing to inadequate staffing have hitherto been most acute, in Grades V and VI," commenced the inspectors, "but the extension by the Department of some of (he provisions of the Kducatiin Amendment Act, 11108, to schools in these grades will all'ord most welcome relief, and we confidently look forward to improved efficiency in organisation ami general work. There is a growing disinclination on the part of certificated teachers to offer themselves as candidates for country positions. The last list of vacancies advertised by the board brought forth applications from fifteen certificated teachers for a position of ,£llO to .£lO5 at Wadcstown, while for a similar position at Feruridge there was not a single certificate] applicant. It is very evident that some definite scheme of making appointments is necessary if the children in the country districts are to leccive the benefits of ihe trained teaching capacity to which they are entitled."

-Mr. A. IT. Vile, referring to the above paragraph, remarked that it was clear that some well-defined system was needed to ensure that the requisite efficiency was maintained in the country schools, ft was a very serious and urgent problem. Mr. A. W. Hogg thought that no trained teaciier should be given preferment for a city appointment unless .v prescribed period, two years, say, had been served 111 a country "school, as a trained teacher, not as n junior. He moved:

'"That in the filling of vacancies in the city schools the board reaffirms its decision to give preference to applicants who have done service in the country."

Mr. J. G. W. Aitken said that the real difficulty had not been touched upon. What the board had to consider in this question nf women teachers evincing a disinclination to apply for country appointments was the* difficulty of getting suitable accommodation for these teachers. It. was not 50. much the head or sole teachers—in many cases these were provided with residences—but the assistant women teachers, who had to depend on the Rood nature of the settlers in the district for bonriliiipr accommodation. A girl going to a country district did not know whether she would be able to get suitable lodging—whether she would get lodging of anv'sort/ In this regard, said Mr. Aitken, the board had a responsibility ti shoulder, and it should shoulder it. The boird should itself see that accommodation was available before sending its women teachers into the country.

Sir* .T. Kebbell suggested more attractive salaries. "Increase the country salaries and reduce the town, ones," he said. "We can't do that." said the chairman (Mr. Kobert Lee). "The salaries are fixed by statute." . It was agreei that the subject should be reverted to at a future meeting. In the meantime the board reaffirmed its principle of preferment by adopting Mr. Hogg's motion. v