EXODUS OF TARANAKI TEACHERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81849, 22 September 1906, Page 2

EXODUS OF TARANAKI TEACHERS.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—At last meeting of the Taranaki Education Board, the chairman of the Board, when asked by Mr Tisch why so many teachers had lately left the Board's service, said lie could not account for the exodus. Surely, Sir, when the chairman of so important a public body as an education board finds out that many good teachers are leaving' its service, lie ought to make full inquiries to ascertain the cause of the exodus, and if he does not do so, then let him retire and a better man take his place. There, is no doubt Mr Wade, the chairman of the Board, has served his day and generation, and Taranaki owes him a debt of gratitude for his faithful services in Hie past, but lie should now make room for a younger member with more modern ideas. Although the chairman could not account for the oxodus, the Chief Inspector gravely informed the members that other education boards weic eagerly snapping up Taranaki teach ers on account of the manual and technical knowledge they had acquired. Great Caesar's ghost! W'iH Mr W. E. Spencer state how many teach ers who have left the Board's service gained a knowledge of manual and technical work in Taranaki, and to what positions they have been ap pointed under other boards? Sir, the exodus of teachers from Taranaki is Enough discontent caused by arbitrary rule on the part both of one of the Board's officials and of one or two members of the Board. Should a teacher assert any independence, lie or she is at once put on the black list and every endeavour made to get that teacher out of the district. Take, for instance, the Bell Block enquiry. Every teacher who gave evidence against an officer was marked, and how many are now in the service of the Taranaki Board? But, on the other hand, take the'case of a teacher who voluntarily gave evidence on behalf of the said officer. Shortly afterdie enquiry that teacher, who was only a comparatively short time in the district, had his certificate raised to rank 1., and yet lie had only charge of a small country school. Yet another case : A son in-law of one of the members of the Board who finished his apprenticeship as a pupil teach cr only a few years ago has his certificate already raised to rank 11., whilst other teachers who have done equally as good work ,if not better, have 110 hope of getting their certi ficates raised. Again, we find that some teachers, on leaving the Board's service for another educational district, get a testimonial from the inspector, but other teachers who ask for a testimonial as to their work are referred to their examination and : n spection reports. Why is this so It is to be sincerely hoped that Mr Tisch and the other new members of t'l Board wi'l ask for a committee to be set up to enquire into this exodus, for there must be "something rotten in tin' State of Denmark," and they will be .studying the interest of education in Taranaki by finding out what is wrong'.—l am ,etc., TEACHER.