WELFARE & CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 189, 7 May 1940, Page 5

WELFARE & CHILDREN

Responsibility Shared By Whole Community THE TEACHER’S PART "I feel that this fifty-seventh annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute is of very special significance,” said the president, Sir. D. C. ITyor, in his address at the annual conference of the institute in Wellington yesterday. ‘'Our Empire is engaged in a stupendous conflict, which we all must feel is a light for democracy—for true civilization as we conceive it to be. In these circumstances it has been suggested that we as an institute should not he meeting here to discuss matters which, though of great moment to us in our daily work, might be considered of little importance in relation to the momentous problems facing the world and our Empire in particular. I cannot agree with that suggestion. When the time conies that the children of our country become of little importance we are indeed inviting disaster. Andi earnestly lielieve that we, as teachers and as an institute, place the welfare of the children in our schools first and foremost.

-I am convinced that we have a great responsibility on us at this time—a responsibility shared by the whole community, but which we must shoulder in the main. As citizens we are doing our share, making our sacrifices for the purpose of ensuring the success of our cause. But as teachers and as institute members we have duties and obligations peculiar to ourselves. . . . War must be followed by a period of reconstruction. The children in our schools today will in a very short time be called on to accept the responsibilities of citizenship; indeed, it will not be long before some of them will be the leaders of thought in this country At the very least theirs will be the task of choosing those leaders. This is 110 easy task. Unless they are—while in the schools —given the very best possible education we cannot ex peet them to choose well and wisely. This education must be such that not only will they be able to express themselves, but they must be Able to judge tlie expressions of others. Only so can true democracy function. . . . "If we can but start our young folk off equipped mentally, physically and morally to think for themselves, express their thoughts clearly and logically and act on their own decisions, with a desire for further knowledge and witli the equipment wherewith to obtain that knowledge, we will have rendered great service to our country. ■So 1 feel assured that the present condition of world affairs is a challenge to us as teachers—a challenge which I hope the annual meeting we are attending will assist us iu answering. Progress Hindered. “At present progress In our schools is being hindered by two important factors, which it is our duty as an institute and as teachers to work to out' utmost to put right. I refer to the large classes still existing in our schools and to the lack of co-operation between the school and the home. In February of this year there were still live or six classes of. more than 60 pupils and some 343 classes of between 50 and 60—a worse state of affairs than at the same time last year. Lower in the scale we find 1150 classes of between 40 and 50. "it is interesting to compare thesp figures with, say, live years ago—the year was taken at random: 1935, nine classes over 60; 1940, six classes over 60; 1935. 319 classes 50-60; 1940, 343 classes 50-60; 1935, 1007 classes 40-50; 1940, 1150 classes 40-50. "These figures do not indicate any great advance, and it is clear evidence that we-as an institute must maintain our advocacy for smaller classes. For years now we have fought for this reform. and of recent years we have worked with the goodwill and cooperation of the Minister of Education ami tlie department. But the evil still exists, and I believe there is no sound reason why it should. Difficulties Overcome. "We have to admit that much lias been done. Some stupendous difficulties arc being overcome. We could not have smaller classes till we iiad more teachers or till we had accommodation for those classes. Ju recent years the building programme of tlie department. lias shown marked progress. The annual amount spent on education, buildings lias been : 1935, £57,160; 193 G £131,157; 1937, £281,896; 1938, £561.432; 1939, £680,123. "This indicates a very earnest endeavour to overcome this difficulty. However, at the start of this programme our schools were iu an extremely shocking condition, and much still remains to bo done. But the great reform need not and must not wait for this. For tlie sake of our pupils—l believe for the sake of the welfare of this Dominion—our slogan must be: ‘Give us the teachers. Make our classes smaller, and let the building catch up with us.’ The matter is much too serious, much too urgent, to l>c held up by a detail which can in the last resort be overcome by numerous expediences available to the headmasters of the schools concerned. "The other aspect, that of teacher supply, is much more serious. Though the training colleges have been working under full pressure for the last four years, it has not been till- compara lively recently that teachers have been available for additional perma- I nent stalling. But the point is that they are now available—have been available for some months—and they should bo absorbed into the permanent service immediately. Figures available to me indicate that at the end of February there were some SOO supernumerary teachers without permanent positions. This should not be. The position is completely unfair to the 'Mi schools, to the teachers concerned and „ lf to the children.”