EDUCATION BOARDS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 November 1930, Page 5

EDUCATION BOARDS

TEACHERS’ SICK LEAVE

(By Telegraph—Press Association).

WELLINGTON, November 25

Education Boards have been supplied with a table of graphs and a report by the Education Department setting out the particulars concerning general and sick leave granted to teachers during the year ended May 1030. Concern lias been expressed by the Canterbury Education Board at the amount of leave extended to the total number of teachers in all districts. At the end of last year the total was 6,438. It is shown that 28.4 per cent.- of these were on sick leave during the year, while 6.3 per cent, were on special leave.

' The Department points out, in an explanatory note, that teachers on leave of absence in more than one month are counted separately in each month that the leave occurred. This means that a teacher who had protracted leave might be included several times in the computation, as only leave periods of one week or over are included. In view of this the Department makes it clear that the percentages given are not to be taken as showing the percentage of teachers in any particular district that had sick or .special leave. The percentages are to be used only ns a basis for showing the varying amounts of leave taken in several districts.

On this basis Wellington, with "96 teachers, had the highest percentages on sick leave during the year, namely 25.4 per cent. Southland with 376 teachers came next with 32.4 per cent, Auckland, with 1940 teachers, had 30.9 per cent. Particulars for other Education Board districts are supplied as follows. Wanganui, 512 teachers, 27.1 per cent.; Otago 630 teachers, 26.7 per cent.; Taranaki 373 teachers 26.5 per cent. ; Hawkes Bay 484 teachers, 25.2 per cent. ; Canterbury 1077 teachers, 23.9 per' cent. ; Nelson 250 teachers 16.8 per cent.