SECONDARY SCHOOL ASSISTANTS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2245, 3 September 1914, Page 3

SECONDARY SCHOOL ASSISTANTS

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION EDUCATION BILL DISCUSSED The. annual meeting of the Secondary School Assistants' Association of New Zealand- was held at Wellington College yesterday. Afr. F. H. Campbell, M.A., Otago Boys' Higli School, presided. In moving the adoption of the annual report (previously published. in The Dominion), the president said that as far as the Otago High School was concerned the Education Bill was abso'lutely valueless. Effective organisation was what the teachers wanted. The secretary of the association (Mt. F. Martyn Renner) said that education was a most valuable asset-to the State, and, that being so, the State should be prepared to pay for.it. If the Department was going to regard teaching as a profession it .should pay teachers accordingly. The members of the medical profession soon got a return of (say) £900 per year; yet members'of tho teaching profession had to work for 23 years, and sometimes 35 years, hefore they could earn £350 per year. Mr. J. H. D. Mahon,', 8.A., Auckland Grammar School, expressed great 'disappointment "that the Government had done , so little" for the secondary school teachers. Members expressed the opinion that the capitation grants to tho secondary boys' schools should he materially increased, and suggested that the amount paid in salariesper pupil should bo at least £14 10s. The Bill fixes the sum at £12 10s., and Mr. Renner said that he had heard iMr. G. Hogben (In-spector-General of Schools) tell a member of the Education Commission that that clause, was. going to be drafted; If it was dropped, that would be very unjust-to the teachers. ' ■ A Resolution. Mr. Renner also expressed tho opinion that; if the' . Bill was passed this session, tho teachers would ,not get another opportunity for half a generation, and that, therefore, it would be better to _see the measure dropped than adopted in aii ■ unsatisfactory form. There was a danger that the.Bill' might be made a non-party, question in view of the international crisis, and rushed through without improvement. This aspect having been raised, it was resolved, on the suggestion of Mr. A. C. Gifford, M.A., Wellington College: "That in view of the financial .stress thai, . must necessarily result from the war, this meeting is strongly of opinion that any clause in the Bill involving increased expenditure should not; become operative until one year after the declaration of peace." ' Various Decisions. A resolution was adopted strongly approving of the staffing proposal of the minimum of one assistant per 25 pupils as contained in the Bill. It was resolved : "That this association strongly approves of the principle enunciated in Sub-section VI of tho tenth schedule of the Bill that a definite amount of the revenue should bo allocated for the salaries of staffs, and feels- that however the Bill may bo amended, the retention of tin's subsection is essential to secure any improvement in the salaries of assistants." It was decided also: "That this association should bring under the notice of the Minister of Education tlie inconsistency of stipulating a minimum average salary of £250 for male assistants aiid £175 for female assistants, without making -provision' for a higher capitation in the case" of boys'. than in the case of girls' schools." The following resolutions, also, were' passed :—. "That members of the staffs of secondary _ departments of district high schools who aro eligible for admission to the Superannuation Fund should be invited to become.- members of the N.Z.S.S.A.A." I "That branch associations should be formed whore possible throughout New Zealand." "That the Government should be strongly urged to amend the Teachers' Superannuation Act by specifying that the benefits shall be computed' on the averago salary for the best three consecutive years, instead of, as at present, on the salary'for the last three year*." '-. "That this association, in view of the small salaries received by married senior assistants, should ask. the Government *o permit the deduction of superannuation payments from salaries in the income tax returns." "That all cadet work in secondary schools should be done within school hours on. the usual school days—on any of the days from Monday till Friday inclusive." "That in view of the haphazard and unsatisfactory classification of secondary school teachers in the Education Gazette, the Government ehould be asked to amend the inspectorate so as to ensure that inspectors of secondary schools shall be men or women who havo had considerable experience in secondary school work, and shall preferably be experts in various departments of secondary school ivork." v "That the association should nominate one male and one female member for the Council of Education." _ "That in the opinion of .-the-asso-' ciation provision 6hould be made for the training of secondary school teachers." • , Officers Elected. Officers for the year were elected as follow:—President, Mr. A. O. Gifford, M.A., Wellington; vice-president, Mies L. M'Knight, M.A., Dunedin ; 'executive, Messrs."T. Brodie, 8.A., Wellington. H. Rockel, M.A., New Plymouth, J..H/D. Mahon, 8.A., Auckland, R. Laing, M.A., Cliristohurch ; auditor, Mr. H. N. Dixon, Wellington.