THE EDUCATION REPORT

Hokitika Guardian, 11 December 1930, Page 2

THE EDUCATION REPORT

TEACHERS AND MINISTER.

DISCUSSION OF PROBLEMS INVOLVED.

WELLINGTON, December 8

A supplement to the Gazette deals with .various / phases of ' educational problems touched upon by a deputation' of representatives of the New Zealand Federation of .Teachers.,- which waited upon the.''Minister 'of- Educa T tibn, the Hon.H.’ Atmore. General agreement, with the report of the Edue.Hion Committee was expressed. In reply, the Minister urged the importance of unification of control. ihe chairman Of the federation’s executive, Mr F. .M. ■ Renner, said members were in agreement, with the principal of terminating primary education at the age of , eleven plus and with the extension of compulsory postprimary education to the age of fi»teen. They were in agreement with the • institution of intermediate education with certain reservations. Two oi '•lie bpdKiii—the Technical School Teachers’ Association and the Secondary Schools’ Association—considered, that . while this intermediate education was necessary the ideal type was 'the attachment of forms 1 and 2 and junior technical forms to the dxisjting schools.. They Were all heartily in accord with 1 the ’principle 6i consolidation,. With very; little exception the scholarship reorganisation was approved. Mattery connected with general administration .ware still questions that required to be thrashed out. 'v 'The /Minister You mean -unification of control ? / Mr Renner. The general administration,’ ’' The Minister. I shall remain firm on that point as the ultimate solution of many difficulties. TEACHERS’ CLASSIFICATION Mr x. L. James dealt with the question of the classification of teachers, particularly as it affected those men :n ! the - technical schools who lacked academic qualifications. At the present! time most .- primary school teachers were certificated, but there ..were a few technical school teachers who would be in tin unfortunate position. This applied: especially to those who had come in from the industr.al and commercial world to take on teaching as a profession later on in life. ' . • The Minister, referrng to the point made by Mr James, said he strongly believed in the proposal put forward He knew there were men who were eminently qualified to give teahing but who could not show any certificate, These men must be judged on the fact that they were doing the work, ~-VSTATUS OF FEDERATION.

.Mr Retinol’, H<>W far in future may the Federation hopo to obtain status ,similar to the Royal Society at •Home P ■■ ;?•/" The Minister, I cannot see any reason against fhb suggestion,. Yours is the greatest of pH profeßsionp- It mua u be;'so j it provides training for all others j audit would go any distance that' way WhioU" ifiay be necessary . . :> Air Atmore said his contention was that thete should be no secondary school without ft certain amount of 'practical education. He wanted pifioticid education to permeate every educational institution in the Doirimion There "would 'W. , no 1 ‘smothering” c f technical education so far as he .i aa pdnceihed. '. UNIFICATION. OF CONTROL , • He was still convinced added the ■Minister, that the proposal in the report ; for complete unification of control was a very sound one,, tbnt objections were not based on a consideration'of the best interests of the child. If necessary an appeal would be made to,the 1 parents and to the committees. The committees wore the creators of the boards and in the addresses he had given in different parts of the Dominion, he had found that wherever he had had direct touch with the committees lie received a unanimous vote of approval. He was satisfied that if they had one controlling authority and one federated body of teachers it would be very easy then to consider the progress of the child from kindergarten to University where such extended education was necessary.

NATIONAL REGISTER. OF TEACHERS,

In regard to the proposals in B’o report the national register proposed payment of the teacher instead o'f the position. He had gone ns fnr ns he could to help and he did not think he was asking too much when ho sought their co-operation. Broadly speaking, the proposals in the report made for the benefit of teacher, child, and committee ; and members of the new boards would occupy a much more dignified position. The education boards to-day had no real powers in regard to things that counted, They had no control over appointments, as all teachers were classified accordng to grading marks which were allotted by the. inspector and appointment had to be made strictly n accordance with the grading lists. The report proposed that there should be one teachers’ register for the whole of the teaching staffs and that instead of the present system of grading all teachers should he classified in three brood groups. The committee considered that teachers should have a voice in the appointments of teachers and it was proposed to set up a. National Appointments Committee consisting of an independent chairman and representatives of the teachers and the De-

partment ; and all appointments would be entrusted to the committee. There was no doubt, concluded the Minister, that the report represented a tremondous advance. It was an attempt to benefit all concerned, not excepting tlie taxpayer, who would get 20s of value for every £1 spent, which he was not getting to-day. A great deal of opposition was coming from the boards through a misunderstanding of the proposals.