A TEACHER’S RIGHT

Hokitika Guardian, 16 December 1931, Page 8

A TEACHER’S RIGHT

POLITICAL QUESTIONS. MR ERANIv MILNER’S VIEW. OAMARU, December 13. Regarding the resolution passed by the Otago High School Board of Governors on Wednesday that teachers be debarred from participation in political questions anj from expression of political opinions in schools, in the newspapers or at public meetings, Mr F. Milner, Rector of Waitaki Boys’ High School, said he cou'ld not understand such a body as the Otago Board of Governors passing ■ such a resolution. Tile censorship of teachers’ views as private citizens was a mediaeval idea. To carry out the decision that a teacher should not, .in his private capacity, express political views, they would have to prohibit his taking sides on any national or international questions which had political implications. It was impossible ito teach civil’s in schools without a political implication, but lie agreed that teachers should be debarred from, introducing into the classroom political information showing bias, A teacher was a teacher in schooj, but surely he had 'the rights of a citizen to express his views on -national and Imperial questions. It was an unjustifiable assertion that anyone could dictate to a teacher what his actions should be as a private citizen in relation to public affairs. Mr Milner himself has recently been taken to task in the correspondence columns of the local newspapers as a result of his appearing on the platform here with the Prime Minister in furtherance of the campaign of the local Coalition candidate. That criticism, however, was .mainly levied at a portion of his address, not at the principle of his'taking an active part in politics.