Educational.

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 15, 14 July 1894, Page 11

Educational.

THE PROMOTION OE TEACHERS.

(By Mi:. R. McNab, M.H.R.)

(Concluded.)

Under the system which is pretty generally in operation in New Zealand Boards select from the candidates those who have no glaringly bad records standing against and send their names on to the committee. A candidate holding a license to teach may be sent up with a B2 or A 3 or other highly qualified teacher, and the committee make the final selection. Having no comprehensive plan to carry out, but simply acting to suit their own particular circumstances, the committee simply select the one who favourably impresses them most. If the Board alone were to select them the local requirements would not receive sufficient consideration. The voice of both the bodies I have mentioned must be taken into consideration, the Board, as having control of the teachers, paying their salaries, inspecting their work, and generally taking the oversight • of them ; the committee, as being the popularly elected body and possessing the maximum of local knowledge.

The chance which the teacher has for promotion must , be ' looked for from the Board, and, therefore, the conjoint relations of the two bodies to one another must be such thal while the suitability for local requirement lies with the committee, and can be given effect to the duty of the State in the way of granting promotion is carried oat under the Board. Under our system as it exists in Southland, the Board does not overlook the duties cast upon it in so far as it always sends down to the committee the names of all those who are desirous of the situation, and who are of approved character and ability. That is looking at it in one light; in another light it so burdens the best deserving teachers with the names of those who have far less claim to promotion, that the teacher to be promoted is lost in the plethora of numbers supplied, The Wellington Board goes to the other extreme, and only sends one name for appointment, the others simply to be looked at. In spite of the emphatic statement of the Wellington Board that their method works with perfect harmony, it is a matter of notoriety in the Empire City that there is the strongest dissatisfaction among the committees, and one of the very oldest members nearly lost his seat on the same question. There is something —a great deal, in fact—in the statement that if our own system were modified in the' direction of a very extensive reduction of the number of candidates sent down to the committee, say a reduction of three, four, or five, taking into consisideration qualification and right of promotion, instead of as is sometimes done —sending in as high as 28 names that this would make ample provision for promotion. There is no doubt it is the old story of the election and the nomine tion system barring the way. A Board practically nominated will never make headway against the popular assembly. The tendency will always be to reduce the list of applicants as little as possible and leave it to the committee. Where you have no responsibility you cannot expect a body to interest itself, especial in the direction of carrying out the obnoxious part of the work. What our system wants is a plan which is self-acting, which will do the requisite weeding-out before the applicants come before the Board at all. We want a system which will for the highest and best billets bring up only those who are well qualified, and possess the requisite experience. This would entail the classification of all our scholars and of all appointments and the portioning of a certain literary minimum and minimum of experience for each position. The teaching profession is just like any other profession, you either progress or retrograde, there is no standing still and taken over wide areas, these disrricts will produce the best work where the teachers are best educated. I was particulrrly pleased with the action of, our own inspectors at the recent conference of New Zealand Inspectors to see that one of the subjects set down for consideration was as follows : —“ That it is expedient to encourage (by some means) the study of the higher problems connected with the teaching profession, as expounded in historical evolution, and the scientific basis of method, and in the lives of eminent educational reformers and of modern educationalists.” In order to obtain an educated body of teachers we must either give a monetary incentive to high qualifications regardless of the situation in which the teacher is, or we must make the highest situations open only to the well qualified. The former method was adopted in Otago; very high bonuses being given for the successive steps in promotion, whether the teacher had charge of the largest town school or a barely self-supporting country one. The fallacy of such a system is apparent. It sets up an absolute standard instead, of a relative one. Everyone who rises to say C 8 gets the bonus attendant on that classifica-

tion, and as theroetically it is in the power of all teachers to do so, it follows that every teacher may one day get that bonus. The amount to be paid in bonuses became so serious that the whole subject had to be reconsidered and largely cut down. This naturally caused considerable friction, while I am not satisfied that the method now employed is free from the old defects. However good, then, this plan might be, with a fixed capitation grant, it is unworkable, as the funds will have too great a strain placed upon them. The ideal system is one, therefore which, while it provides an increased remuneration to those who deserve promotion at the same time regulates the finances that only the same total amount o£ money is expended on remuneration. The classification already mentioned where, according to the position, a minimum requirement of literary ability and teaching experience is required, appears to me to meet the points most effectively. The larger and better paid schools of course give the better salaries; these schools will require a higher education for the staff and greater experience ; these can only be obtained by diligent application to study and to the duties of the profession, and hence the way is paved for their promotion. It is not finally assured of course that teaching power and scholarly ability , will always secure the position—all that is claimed is that these qualifications will be placed in the most favourable position possible, which is not the case at present. The teacher, of course, who stands by and does not strive to equip himself beyond his fellow r s will go to the wall jnst as the same course of conduct iu other directions produces the same result. The subject of the classification of our schools on the Hues of the classification of teachers under the Education Act, is one which I would like the institute take up and thresh out in all its bearings. It is only by hearing the question well argued that the proper consideration can be given it. In view of a possible consideration of this question at an early date by our Board, you, as teachers, who are most Effected, will be fully justified in taking the subject up, and the result of your discussion cannot but have weight with those who will ultimately have the carrying out of any such changes. The writer commends the subject to your consideration, and regrets that time does not permit of his elaborating the material suppliedmr of furnishing statistics in proof of his statement.