TRAINING OF SCHOOL TEACHERS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1929, Page 2

TRAINING OF SCHOOL TEACHERS

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE MINISTER.. WELLINGTON, June 14. The Council of Education to-day decided to make a number of recommendations to the Minister hearing on the braining of teachers. The council resolved that the standard of attainment for entrance to the profession should he, as far as the Dominion requirements allow, a higher leaving certificate or its equivalent, provided that applicants with lower qualifications than a higher leaving certificate, but not lower than matriculation, and who have exceptional personality, shall have special coniderations.

The view was expressed in other re-, commendations that the teachers’ D examination should be discontinued after 1930, hub that there should he substituted a training college entrance examination in the subjects of reading, writing, music, drawing, English, arithmetic, history and geography, this examination to be passed before .lie candidates are accepted as probationers, the requirements for Class G being mpdilied accordingly. At the beginning of their training, probationers should he given a course of study arranged to lit in most appropriately with the subsequent requirements at a training college and at a university, .so that a coherent four-year course is organised. It was considered that tiie courses of study lor probationers should he drawn up by the principals of training colleges and approved bide Department.

The Education Department should, by means of a survey, estimate the number of teachers required each year for the work as (a) infant school teachers, (b) standard class teachers and (c) secondary school teachers. It was also considered that'the principal, in consultation with the studshould make a selection of his Sphere of work in the first year of the student’s attendance at college. Probationary assitants should, as far as possible, be placed in accordance with the direction of their specialising.

The council considered it desirable that sufficient Grade 1 positions should be made available each year for exprobathyiary assistants, also that exprobationary assistants should be appointed at once to positions on the staffs of schools, particularly those having an average attendance of from thirty to thirty-five, if necessary supernumerary teachers, and that all first appointments of a permanent nature for ex-college students should be to a certain extent special appointments.

The Minister is also to he advised to obtain the necessary power to allot supernumerary probationary assistants to secondary and technical schools and to manual training centres, in addition to the ordinary staffing of the school.