EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 14 May 1907, Page 2

EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.

i'ur Press A&soeiau,,.. ' DmiiHlin, Miy 13. S.'Vera! xu-mln-vri of Iho Koliool Commit waited on the lion. '■ t ,i« i„orai], K l'„r (1,0 purpose eon ,rati,la I in;. lii„, „„ | lis Miuisk"' i,, V I-'... | S( ,I M[ . liWlils •: . r"'*' «»<l advanced ■ | «>»ii «'ho >ras a into friend o, ednealion. _\|r. Wilkinson K spokesman, s„id lie w it'li ! (I'" io,cionoe made |,y (| u , Mi n i sU ,,. one of Ins speeches to the necessity for making some provision for endowments ' pnrposcs so tiut lllciv : rt-Mlld stlWslVS he ;l 11 ;»>sureil fliuil. A]j l''"« ld. in reply » a i,| hj,. recognised tli.it ! file best ih M i K .Minister conlil do was O come into personal conlael: w i(h lliose

V.i.i were co-workers with liim in the vm-k 01 li H department. As to teachers' ■alancs, he was trying to devise some avails ol recognising cllicioiu-v,- end •■'»;-',ili ol service of teachers, without in-I'-nering with local control, lie would

'"■• f ';' very last (~ take : „,y step (1,.,| «■•>:! M reduce 11,,. |,„,,| interest i„ Sll k T!,... 5e11,.,,! .I„„nial was i„. U-.tuni (~ „„... t ijh. ,|i m ,. u || v 0 f ;|,„ ( , x . pease In parents in (1,,. „„,{'(,,,. „f S( .| lc „,| ! >""ks, si ml svas not intended to take Lie lorm of a. magazine or ucNvspaoer akogclher. Jl,. believed il would serve a iwlul purpose in tlif iMliKMlionl sv.dcm o) Hi,- colony A deputation represent hj,,, teachers complained thai teachers now li;'.<l to pay postage on returns, oxainiuaI urn schedules, an,l other official communiealions forwarded to their lOdncition Hoards. Tlie Minister said the Boards are going altogether wrong i„ askmjr teachers to pay this postage. The fioards ot Education should pay the postage of teachers' communications and returns and lie thought/in some districts, ..hoy did so. The question of whether boards should get 11 grant for this is a mat lor they should light with the Government, and penalise the teachers. Bunodin, May 13 , •Messrs. A. Marshall and \V. Davidson representing the Teachers' Institute', brought iij) the matter of payment of teachers on the basis of average attendance before the Minister for Kducatiou. He said he fully appreciated the improved condition of teachers to-day as compared with six years ago. The'fact remained, however, (hat there was a feeling of discontent throughout the colony, and there was constant chan-im* Irani place to place on the part of teachers. The Institute's suggestion was li>/egrade schools into nine, instead of thirty, grades, having a considerably smaller fixed minimum salary in each grade than at present, rising by small increments to a somewhat higher fixed maximum than at present. The Minister replied that he was gathering information, on the question of the alteration of teachers' salaries, and was hopeful of being able to arrive at an improved system. At present, one great dilHeullv in connection with instituting fixed salaries was that of the transfer of teachers of increased ellicienev. As lon>' as we had 10,,,! control, a'valuable factor in our education, that dilliculty would be hard to get over. He was hopeful of finding a way out on the lines suggested viz., reducing the number of grades of schools, and adding gradual increments to salaries within that schedule. Kvcn then grades would have to be based on average attendance. He had asked those who had been studying the nuestion to give him suggestions, and as soon as he could see a method of effectively dealing with the case he would adopt it. '•! think that in the lines von have suggested tin's morning, we shah be able to get something done."