TEACHERS CASE

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 124, 22 November 1932, Page 8

TEACHERS CASE

SUPERANNUATION

EFFICIENCY OF SCHOOLS

N.Z.E.I. PEOTEST

The disabilities teachers would suffer if the Government Superannuation Funds Bill became law were emphasised by the New Zealand Educational Institute when giving evidence, before the Select Committee of the House of Representatives to-day. The proposal to extend the ago to 65 years was criticised, and the opinion . was expressed that the extension of the age would result in a definite falling off in the efficiency of the schools. It was also contended that the passing of the Bill would stop all promotions for approximately five years, and that the whole of the service would have to mark time for that, period. Special reference was also made to the provisions of the Bill as they affected women teachers, representative of about two-thirds of the teaching service. , ; "The changes threatened in the Bill •assume a very alarming character. How alarming they are, will be seen from cases selected at random," said Mr. W. F. Abel, president of the N.Z.E.I. "The. first of these shows that a teacher who is to be called on for four and a half years' additional service will suffer a loss of £1358 in the present, value of his pension rights. When to that is added the fact that he has to continue paying contributions 1 for a further period of four and a half years at a rate of, say, £30 a year instead of drawing his expected pension, the severity of the impost becomes apparent. To sum up, four years more of service, four years more of contribution, a loss of £1200 in actual receipts and a large sum representing interest-earning value is an unreasonably heavy infliction to impose on a servant who has carried out his contract to the full. Even when all these items have been estimated and allowed for there is still to be added the further consideration that the annuitant,- by-Teason of the added stress of the last few years of duty, may retire with health so impaired as to definitely reduce his expectation of'life. SPEAKING- WITH AUTHORITY. "The executive claims that intimate knowledge of the education system enables it to speak with authority on the inevitable effect the Bill will, have if it becomes law There will certainly be a definite falling off in the efficiency of the schools. Not many men teachers retain their full efficiency to the age of 65 years, and a considerabe number of them will, under the provisions of the Bill, have to continue in the service to that age. Even at 60 years most men have passed their prime, and their retention at and after that age will mean that in many cases they will be occupying positions that could be better filled by younger men. "But the education service is different from" the other services in that about two-thirds of its • members are' women. The executive asserts, with a due: sense of responsibility, that for the majority of women, thirty years' service is as much as the conditions of their service enable them to give if efficiency is to be maintained. Some are able to go on a few years longer, but if all are required to continue in the service till age 55 it is certain that many of them will be carrying on under _stress that,will be reflected in the quality of their work. The work of the teacher is at all times of an exacting nature, demanding a large expenditure of nerve force. Breakdowns .are, frequent, and if the present tendency to increase the size of classes continues they will become more so. Hence there is a risk of impaired energy prejudicial to the welfare of the schools and the children. The exhaustion that comes of duty top long continued, combined with fear of broken health, will certainly be reflected in; the work of the schools. PECULIARITY OF THE SERVICE. Mr. Abel said that the passing of the Bill would stop all promotions for approximately five years, and generally speaking, the whole of the service would have to mark time for that period. It would be serious for men, but doubly serious for 'women, as the range of promotion of the latter was restricted by reason of. the fact that all the higher positions in the service were in practice reserved for- men teachers. The result would be that by the time the suspension of promotions came to an end, numbers of women would have approached so, near the retiring age that they could, not hope for promotion at all: -Delay in promotion entailed delay in salary increase. The peculiarity of the education service was that payments were based on the average attendance at salaries, were allotted to positions, and not to the teachers personally. Promotion usually involved removal, and in the education service, as distinct' from the Public Service, the expense of removal had to be paid by the teacher, except in a few special cases. It not infrequently happened that a teacher could not apply for promotion because he; could not afford the expense of removal, and' the obvious consequence was that he was often obliged to remain in a lower position than to that which his efficiency, entitled him, and he 'suffered in superannuation allowance for the rest of his life. ■ ; ' ■' RATE OF CONTRIBUTIONS. Under tho Finance Act, 1932, which made the second reduction in salaries, teachers were given the . option of electing to continue to pay contributions on the unreduced rate of salary. Before the period of the option had expired the Eeport of the National Expenditure , Commission was issued, in which the changes now embodied in the Bill were indicated. This made the exercise ' of the option a very difficult matter to decide, as it made a radical ■alteration in the conditions of service. In effect, the option had to be used under one set of conditions, and it would operate, if the Bill were passed, under quite different ones. The Prime Minister was asked that an extension of the time for making the election might be granted. His reply was that that could not be done in the Bill, but that the point would be carefully considered. The request for consideration is laid before this Committee. There are two aspects of it that claim attention:—(a) That further time should be given .for making the election, in view of the altered conditions; and (b) that those who made the election before the change of conditions became imminent' should be allowed'an opportunity of revoking the election. EXCLUDED SERVICE. "For many years the Educational Institute has been endeavouring," said Mr. Abel, "to secure' for several groups of teachers the inclusion of service for superannuation that Is now excllided. The executive takes this opportunity of bringing these cases before the committee. : They are not related to any of the clauses of the Bill, but the executive hopes the committeo will see its way to insert the much-desired amendment. The groups of teachers referred to are pupil teachers and probationers, teachors with broken service, unemployed young teachers, and those who were not in a, position to join the fund in 1906.