ORGANISING THE TEACHERS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 205, 25 May 1921, Page 5

ORGANISING THE TEACHERS

A QUESTION OF DISTRIBUTION

EFFICIENCY IN BACKBLOCK SCHOOLS

> "Probably the best thing done for the children of the backblocks in recent years was the creation of a staff of organising teachers, who are employed by tho nine education boards,” said ths Minister of Education (Hon. C. J. Parr). yesterday, "These teachers are experienced man, whose main task is to‘ supervise and assist in the small schools where the teachers are uncertificated. ' The chief inspector of primary schools has been looking into this branch of the service, and he has gathered some interesting facts. The organising teachers humber 28 for the Dominion, and they cost, approximately, £15,700 per annum. We find that travelling expenses alone amount to some £lOOO per annum." The Minister proceeded to say that an examination of the reports of the inspectors on 400 schools visited by the supervising teachers snowed that only 44 schools were described as weak. The chief inspector reported that the organising teachers were most needed in the North Island and in Marlborough, Nelson; and Westland. It appeared that Canterbury, Otago, and Southland had a much smaller proportion of untrained and uncertificated teachers than other parts of tho Dominion, and so had less need for tho supervision of small schools. 'A further analysis of the reports seemed to . indicate that Canterbury and Otago had a larger proportion of experienced men and women among their uncertificated teachers than the other districts. The unoertificated teachers were classified according to their work, and the returns showed that the distribution the organising teachers required attention. Auckland had three organising teachers and UH uncertificated teachers of bslow average merit. Taranaki had four organising teachers for 14 of these inferior teachers, -and the figures for the other education districts were as follow: —Wanganui, four for 31; Hawke's Bay, three for 22; Wellington, two for 20; Nelson, three far 32; Canterbury, four fop- 13; Otago, three for 4; Southland, two for 36. It was true that uncertificated teachers who were of average merit also required some of the attention of the organising teachers, but oven when they were .included in the calculation it appeared that the organising teachers- were not distributed according to file needs of the districts. "I gather from the report of the chief inspector,” said the Minister, "that the averagi* number of uncertificated teachers of the inefficient class to each organising teacher is 13. On this basis Auckland should have 15 of the organising teachers instead of 3, Canterbury should have 1 instead of 4, Wellington should continue to have 2, Taranaki slionld have 1 instead of 4, and so on. It is quite clear that the Dominion as a whole 1 snot getting the best possible value from the work of ths- organising teachers.” Mr. Parr added that the matte" required some attention, and he was going to consider what measures were necessary to obtain even better results than -were now being obtained from the excellent work of the organising teachers. The Minister mentioned that many of the uncertificated teachers were being assisted to qualify themselves. About 1000 young people were now being trained in the training colleges, and he hoped that by the year after next the Education Department would bo able to effect material improvements by increasing the proportion of certificated teachers and reducing the size of classes. He expected

that some relief would be afforded next J year by the. appointment of additional certificated teachers to the schools where large classes existed..