TEACHERS' CONDITIONS

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1840, 28 August 1913, Page 4

TEACHERS' CONDITIONS

ATTENDANCE & SALARIES.

IMPROVEMENTS PROJECTED,

The working conditions of Echool teachers wero the subject of a uumbor of questions nud answers in til© llouso of Representatives yesterday afternoon.

Replying to o, long question by tho member for Timaru, tho Minister for Education (the lion. James Allen) made the iollowing statement:— Tho honourablo member will know from a perusal of tlio Budget that it ia intended this year to make somo improvement in the position of teachers. Ho will also know that it is proposed to mako further improvement by legislation to bo introduced next year. I append for tlio information of tlio honourable member copy of a letter 1 havo sent to tlio secretary of tho New Zealand Educational Institute on tho subject:—"Wellington, August 25, • 11)13. Sir,—ln reply to your two letters o£ August 9 and August-18 respectively, I havo tho honour to say that it is tho intention of tho Government to introduce this session legislation (or to malco regulations, as the caso may be) to provide for tho following(1) Inoreaso of the. annua;! increments to tcachors' salaries as shown "in tlio last oolumn of Part II of tho First Schedule to the Education Amendment Act, 1908, from £5 to £10. (2) Increase of salary to the lower paid secondary assistants in district high schools. (3) Increase of salary to certain of tho assistants in the normal schools. (4) Extension of tho interval between tho fall in grade of a school and fall in salary from two years to three years, to take effect from January 1, 1913. Tho question of an inoreaso in teachers' salaries and other questions connected thorowith will bo carefully considered by the Government during tho next Parliamentary recess, and legislation will bo introduced nest session accordingly.—(Signed) J, Allen, Minister for Education. In answer to Mr. Myers, tlio Minister said that out of tho total number of teachers (3212) who receivo graded salaries, 2434 teachers will, if Parliament passes tho short Bill to lie introduced presently, receivo tho doublo increment from January 1 next. Those wlio had already reached tho maximum wero already somewhat better off than tlioso in tlio same grade who had not yet reached it. A measure giving a general incroaso of salaries required careful consideration, hut ho had promised to introduce such a measure next session.

.Answering Mr. Malcolm on the subject of the reduction of salaries through falling attendance, Mr. Allen stated, inter alia, that- tlio boards had had an opportunity of transferring the teachers whoso salaries were threatened. It did not, of course, follow that in every case of tlio fall of tlio grado of a. school tlio teacher should bo transferred. "I liavo agreed,'? said tlio Minister, "to include in Bill shbrtly to bo introduced a provision extending, as from January 1, 1913, by one year the interval that must olapso before a teachorls salary can bo affected by tlio fall of tlio grade of the school. This will givo time during tlio recess for tlio full consideration of | tlio wliolo question of tlio grading of schools; but it will bo ovident to members tliat tlio actual scale of staff and of salaries ill a school, as in every other business, must depend upon.tlio size of the school. Tlio question of the transfer of teachersappears to bo tlio real key of tlio situation."