APPOINTING TEACHERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 601, 1 March 1929, Page 1

APPOINTING TEACHERS

EDUCATION BOARD’S COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT EXPLAINS (Special to THE SUN) WELLINGTON, To-day. “It is not true to say that an education board is allowed no latitude with respect to the appointment of a teacher,” said Mr. A. Bell, assistantdirector of education, to-day' commenting on a complaint by Mr. E. H. Andrews at a meeting of the Canterbury Education Board. “Section 71 of the Education Act, which governs the appointment of teachers, has a qualification which was inserted for that very reason, and which provides that the board and the senior inspector may agree that some applicant other than the one with the highest grading may be appointed to tho post. “The grading system has given excellent results: it Avas introduced for the benefit of the teachers and is supported by them. But because it was recognised that there may be special circumstances this qualification Avas inserted. There is a further modification of the section in a later sub-sec-tion which states that teachers lower on the grading list may be appointed Avhere there is a special description of the post. It may be that the position calls for experience in infant work and | that the highest graded teacher who | applies for the post does not possess this, or that some knowledge of second- | ary school subjects are wanted and that I this is not part of the equipment of the I highest graded applicant. These ! qualifications cover the case of appointments and beyond them, in the interests of the teachers, it is undesir- ! able to go A