GRADING OF TEACHERS

Southland Times, Issue 18816, 8 May 1920, Page 5

GRADING OF TEACHERS

SERVICE DISCONTENT. REPRESENTATIONS FROM AUCKLAND. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND. May 7. The dominion scheme of grading for primary school teachers has been severely criticised of late, especially in Auckland, where some of the teachers on one occasion invoked the aid of the Supreme Court in remedying what they considered to be unfair -treatment. The new Minister of Education has called a conference of senior inspectors, members of the Wellington executive of the New Zealand Educational Institute, and representatives of male and female teachers throughout the dominion to be held in Wellington next week for the purpose of discussing the grading scheme as a whole. A general meeting of members of the Auckland branch of the Educational Institute was held this morning to elect five delegates to represent the teachers of the Auckland education district at the conference, and to give these delegates an idea of the members' views on the grading scheme. It was decided to endorse the resolution passed at the last annual conference of the Institute-, expresing the opinion that “the quota” system is inequitable so long as deserving teachers are debarred from showing their capabilities in the higher positions, and so improving their ■ status.” It was also decided that in the opinion of the meeting the allotment of marks for “skill in teaching,” “personality and discipline,” “organisation and management,” and “school environment” should be abandoned, and that “efficiency” be adopted as a general heading covering all these points. . A vote was taken on the question whether the original Auckland grading scheme was superior in design to the present dominion scheme. The meeting proved to be unanimous in the affirmative. A resolution was carried affirming that no amendments to the Education Act or to the regulations thereunder should be finally adopted before all branches of the Institute had been given an opportunity of discussing them. It wss also resolved "That no bonus will be satisfactory to teachers which docs not include all members of the service.” It was unanimously resolved “That the Department be urged to increase salaries so as to make them equal in purchasing -power to those paid on January, 1915.” Mr Monro explained that a general increase of salaries was granted on the date named, should be taken as the standard rather than the 1914 salaries.