EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2969, 5 January 1917, Page 6

EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS

COUNCIL MEETING OF N.Z.E.I. TEACHERS', SALARIES ■s?n 16 The annual'meeting of tho New Zealand Educational Institute was conr[ tinned yesterday, tlio president,' 3fr, o. AV. Eudy, in tho chair. Consideration 11 of remits from the several branches was resumed. ir Mr. H. R.- Fisher (Marlborough) submitted the following proposal:—"That with regard to grading in order to remove certain numerous cases of inj' equality in quotas brought about by •_ the present grouping, and to prevent f. them and other anomalies arising in | future, it is -urgently necessary to con- ' struct a seal© of salaries based on efficiency and service, and not solely, as at •) present, on average attendance." Mr. Ballaehey moved the following amendment, which -was accepted on the voices:—"That with regard to grading ' in order;to remove certain anomalies, . it is -urgently necessary to construct a scale of salaries based on efficiency, and not as now on averago attendance.". Mr. Fisher went on to submit this ( motion, on the same subject:—"That the N.Z.E.I. take the initial steps and submit a scale to the authorities."— Carried by 39 votes to 25. Limiting size of Classes. Tho, Hawke's Bay branch, made tho following .proposal:—"That no class consist of more than 40 pupils." It was urged, that this reform was! necessary in the national interest rather than in tho interests of teachers, because no teacher could efficiently control and instruct a larger number of pupils than 40. It was admitted in the course of discussion, that this reform could not at once be made, espcct ally while the war limits the available supply of teachers, but that tho Education Department should know that efficiency could not be secured, unless' a sufficient number of teachers entered and remained in the profession to permit of a, scale of staffing sufficiently generous to ensure that no tcaoher should ever have to teach more than 40 pupils.—-The motion was agreed to unanimously. , The following Manawatu remit was carried without discussion:—"That the appointments of teachers in the primary schools of the Dominion should be made by the Education Department, and that the executive of the N.Z.E.I. should use its best endeavours to havo this carried into effect." Representation on Education Boards. Miss iS r . E. Coa<J (Wellington) moved. tho followang proposal :—"That the Education Act be so amended as to empower the teachers in each education district to elect a member to represent them on the Education Board of that district." Miss Coitd did not ask the institute to recede from its jposition as defined by a previous decision that boards ought to be abolished. All she urged was that while boards did exist teachers should have tho right to representation upon them. The motion was carried. Staffing and Salaries. The following remit came from the Wellington .branch:-—"That in calculating the average attendance for the purpose of _stafimg, no attendance of less than 7o per cent, of the roll number be taken into account." The reasons, advanced in-support of the remit were that the present regulations were inelastic, and did not mako sufficient allowance for great reductions in attendance owing to bad weather, epidemics, or other causes. A subsequent amendment by Mr. Flamenk to substitute 90 per cent, for 75 per cent., was accepted by Wellingi ton delegates and incorporated in the 1 motion. Mr. Combs moved to insert the words • "and salaries" to mako the motion read, "That in calculating the average attendance for the purpose of staffing and' salaries, etc." This amendment : .was carried by 34 votes to 31, and the motion as so amended by 39 rotes to 26. A number of remits referring to the ■ salaries. scale were dealt with. These proposals were generally unimportant, ! concerning only anomalios in tho soale. i The most interesting of the motions : was in effect a demand that house allowance and its equivalent according 1 to soale be considered as part of sal- < ary for the purpose of computing super- < .annuation, ' War Economies. | The following remits from Wellington 1 protesting against Departmental econo- 1 mies introduced allegedly because of the 1 war were carried:— | "That the war amendment of clauso I 2 of the regulations relating to the re- ' duction of staffs .of schools through ' failing atondance is far too drastic, 1 and should bo immediately revoked or amend'ed." £ "Seeing that tho real life of the i nation depends, upon the health and J education of its people, this institute i deeply regrets the retrograde tendency i exhibited in the education section of i the War Legislation Amendment Act, i and draws the attention of the Minis- i tor to tho dangers to be feared from I putting into force his powers for the r reduction of staffs." c The Proficiency Certificate. c Some discussion occurred! on a pro- j posal put forward by the Otago branch £ that tiie competency certificate should be abolished. ■ The _ Otago Institute '! urged that this certificate had como to , bo looked-upon as a mark of failure, * valueless to tho pupils gaining it, and they therefore suggested! that there '• should be issued a proficiency certifi- J cate for an ordinary pass in Standard ( VI to enter public services, technical ' schools, and district high schools, and a proficiency certificate of merit entitl- ' iug the holder to admission to secondary schools. This proposal was not accepted in this shape, although it found some favour. The resolution finally -j adopted, which follows, was proposed T by Mr. Flamenk, who urged as the -j special reason for its adoption the pos- j, sibility of doing away; with special ox- f aminations for proficiency certificates, to which examinations children often had to travel considerable distances:— "That the Minister be asked to extend the accrediting system to the f primary schools, so that where deemed rj advisable, inspectors may, after consultation with the teacher, issue proficiency certificates without further examination, and to grant to inspectors e| the power to deternnno whether children are fit to be admitted as free pupils ~, to technical schools, district Infill j, schools, or secondary schools." 1 This proposal found general support, and (| was adopted on the voices. i. General. a It was decided, on the recommendation of the Wellington. Institute: "That the Education Department bo asked to f, consider tho advisability of establishing a store for the supply of school a , requisites." , , a Another remit from Wellington which - was adopted was as follow:—"Tliat for the sake of informing the public on R educational matters the institute r«com- t mentis that the chief debates of the b

H Council of Education should be open to the Press." At 10 p.m. the council adjourned until 9.30 a.m. to-day.

TECHNICAL SCHOOL TEACHERS

CONFERENCE AT WANGANUI. By Telegraph—Spcciol Correspondent. Wanganui, January 'I. Tlio conference of tho Now Technical Teachers' Association held a a- AVanjtanui included representatives froi a- Christchurcli, Aslibiii'lon r Invercnrgill, Wcstport, Auckland, ani |n New Plymouth. The following officers were elected cs President, Mr. F. Neve (re-elected) (Auckland); vice-president, Mr. A 1)- Moore (Ashburton): secretary, std trea surer; Mr. It. J Thompson (Auck u_ land), (re-elected); executive, Miss M M. Wilson (Invercarffill), Miss E M'Kav (Wellington), Mr. J. E. Newtoi 'J (Christ-church), and Mr. F. 'J'. Davi it (New Plymouth). n The annual' report showed that tcch nical school teachers of Wellington am l_ Ne«j Plymouth, numbering 15 and 1( members respectively, had joined th< association. A scheme formulated bj Mr. Newton, of Christchurch, whereby g tho Technical and Secondary Schoo e Teachers' Association were to amalga- „ mate was now reported to bo undei ° the consideration of sister bodies. '> The following remits were carried:— t That > probationers for cookery , ani , domestic science classes bo admitted on - senior free placo examination- for three vears, the salary to bo the same as s that paid to pupil teachers in primary fc schools, and the studies to be with a j view to' reaching a standard of general _ education, not Tower than that for the teachers' D 2. That probationers for woodwork classes be similarly trained atid proceed to a normal training college, j That in technical as in primaiT 3 schools iho system of equal pay for t equal work in relation to tk© salaries - of male and femalo assistants should r be brought into force. That,the association expresses its appreciation of the action of the Govern- : ment in establishing a censorship of t kmematograph films, which it believes ■ to be in the best interests of the chil- ; dren of New Zealand. i That_ technical teachers not under • Education Boards should receive the same treatment as technical teachers : under Education boards. This referred . particularly to the war bonus, which ■ was , granted to the latter and not to the former. Centres wero asked to ' keep this matter before Ministers and members of Parliament till equality of 1 treatment was secured. That capitation grants to technical schools should be paid on the roll number on March 31. That students attending- technical classes, who during the year make more than 400 'hours in a recognised group course, should be able to earn capitation up to a maximum of 600 hours. That apprentices should be allowed off at least ono half-day weekly to attend day technical classes for not less than 30 weeks in the year. That technical school 'teachers view with satisfaction tho intention to bring about a stiffening of the examination for proficiency and competency certificates. 1 \ The association regrets that it has been found necessary to eliminate English from tho shorthand and typists' examination, and expresses the hope that it will bo found possible to restore it at an early date. , That the substitution' of matriculation for public service senior examination is advisable, since—(a) its scope is too restricted, (b) it makes a "language compulsory, (c) it is not suited to technical departments of tlie public service, being merely au examination in general knowledge on similar lines to, though moro advanced! than, the public service entrance examination. ' - ■ V That education beyond that at present provided for the primary schools should be free'and compulsory for all. That such education may bb secondary, | technical, or vocational, as the circumstances of the individual demand.