HEADMASTERS’ COMPLAINT.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 March 1924, Page 3

HEADMASTERS’ COMPLAINT.

HON PARK’S KEPL.Y BY TKLKCItAI’II J’RKSS ASSN., COI’VRIGHI. Cllli ISTCJLURCH, March 27 Hon Parr made the following statement to-night:— “The Wellington Headmasters’ Association has decided to enter the political arena over the recent regulation which requires Headmasters to give half time at least to actual teaching. Jn one of the manifestoes with winch they are now flooding the press they say they requested me to cancel the regulation, and to agree to others being drafted with their co-operation and assistance. .My reply, emphatically is that no such request has even been

imulo to mo. The Wellington Headmasters have misrepresented what took place at the interview which I granted them, and the full shorthand notes amply prove the untrustworthino.'N ot their version. They have never made any offer to assist me, or to cooperate with the Department, in drafting of a regulation to take the place oi the one they object to. If they had made such an oiler, I would rortainlv have accepted it, as my attitude has been one of friendliness and conciliatnriness to the teaching profession. I'lven now if the Headmasters can draft me the regulation in better language, I am prepared to meet them, as 1 always di), in a perfectly reasonable spirit. I resent their statement that (ho Minister of Education has no desire to work in a spirit of co-operation with the teachers. This may he the opinion ol a lew busybodies at Wellington, hut 1 believe it is not the opinion ol the teaching profession as a

whole. ’I he teachers, as a body, know that no Minister has tried to do more to raise the status and improve tic conditions of the profession, and on very many occasions 1 have received their thanks and appreciation. O'.o thing alone, the creation of a system of Dominion promotion Tfy which the most competent teacher gets the vacancy, no mailer, in what Hoard District he may reside, is sufficient to stamp the administration of the last lew years as one distinctly favours be to the teaching profession. For the first, time, teachers have become a National Service, instead of a mere Hoard ( •Service, with promotion confined to a , Hoard district. If, as the Wellington Headmasters now for the first time suggest, it is a matter of redrafting tl.e present regulation, I am ready to meet the Institute to-morrow and help them _ out with such a scheme. I think, however, its they have made a public up peal, it is only fair that the Department’s case should he made known.”

SCHOOL MASTERS CRITICISED. WELLINGTON, .March L'ti. School masters and their foibles canto in tor .some criticism at to-day's meeting of the Education Hoard. ‘‘Wo can't go and take the Ministers by the throats and make them give tts what we. want, remarked Mr R. A. Wright, M.D. ‘‘We have lo go cap in hand and take wliat we can get. If we cannot get a whole loaf then we must take half a loaf or tts much as we can yet.” In the course of his remarks Mr Wiicht. said that school masters did not. a! ' ays know "hat they wanted. They all di Herod. ’‘They are like parsons,” lie remarked. “When you get a new minister lie wants the choir put here. When the next man comes lie wants it put somewhere else. School masters are just the same.” The hoard was later informed that there were more teachers offering than there were positions for in the city, while the hoard had gicat difficulty in getting teachers ‘fdr ‘tike country. There were .still many country schools with uncertificatod teachers, and quiiliiiod teachers could not he got to go

to the country. Mr W. T. Grundy said that many teachers never had any experience at smaller schools. Tt would do a lot of teachers good to go out and take on til,- responsibility of a sole teacher school for a time.