SECONDARY TEACHERS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 191, 11 May 1944, Page 4

SECONDARY TEACHERS

Discontent Over Salary Scale The salary scale of secondary school teachers was discussed at a Dominion executive meeting of the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Association held in Wellington on Tuesday and yesterday instead of the annua) conference. A statement issued by the executive last evening stated that “profound discontent was expressed at the refusal of the Government to take adequate measures to remedy the injustice of the system by which secondary teachers are still paid on a salary scale established in 1921 and reduced in 1022.” It was stated that the president, Mr. E. N. Hogben, had expressed the regret of all teachers that after a year of fruitless negotiations this matter of salaries still had to be considered as a major problem. “The social implications of the profession, particularly in this period of war, and post-war problems made it particularly undesirable that secondary teachers should be in this unprecedented state of unhappy suspense, brought about by the 'Government’s refusal to deal justly with just claims,” the statement continues. “In the education of a democracy success can be achieved only if the teacher is given free and ample working conditions, adequate status and a remuneration that will banish financial worry and all sense of inadequacy., The teacher is still tlie master key without which the door cannot he unlocked. New curricula aud new systems are of no avail without the right teachers, and it is known that many young Now Zealanders who would be most desirable teachers are not entering the profession because of the utterly inadequate reward for very special abilities, and long years of professional training.”