Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 1901. TEACHERS SALARIES COMMISSION.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 1 August 1901, Page 2

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 1901. TEACHERS SALARIES COMMISSION.

After many delays and long and anxious consideration, the Teachers’ Salaries Commission have presented their report to Parliament. Two scales of salaries are proposed, one on £4 capitation and one on £4 2s Gd capitation. They recommend that the latter be adopted, the proposed new scale to come into operation on January Ist, 1902, and two years are to be allowed for the adjustment of salaries in certain cases affected. A modification of the system of teachers certificates and an amendment to the pupil teacher system are recommended. It is also suggested that training schools for teachers should be established, The scale proposed to give boards, for purposes other than salaries is £250 and a capitation of 11s 8d on the total average attendance which would be increased to a capitation of 12s by the adoption of scale two. Women teachers salaries are raised generally but the principle of equal pay for equal work has not been fully adopted. Until the detailed report is to hand, it is somewhat difficult to follow the commissioner further than to realise that the proposal means increased expenditure, a mild attempt at bring-

ing about a colonial scale of salaries, and what is certainly much required is the establishment of training schools for teachers. This last recommendation alone is a valuable one, for one of the defects of our system is the promotion of young persons to the position of teachers before they have had any experience in the profession. The result of employing untrained teachers tends to deterioration and imperfect and faulty instruction.