EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 255, 5 January 1911, Page 5

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE

ANNUAL CONFERENCE. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Hokitika, January 3. In connection with the president's address delivered at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute, which commenced here last night, several matters of pressing importance—notably one referring to the influence of surroundings upon children were dealt with. The president urged that larger and more beautiful grounds and buildings should be provided for schools, and that greater attention should be paid to temperature and ventilation. Much interesting information was given concerning the progress made in these directions in other countries, notably Switzerland. The president also referred to the methods adopted in America and Australia which have successfully coped with the difficulty of making country schools'more efficient. He concluded an interesting address by stating that New Zealand could never hope to attract the best men to the teaching profession, nor make the best use of the present teachers until a Dominion promotion scheme was adopted.

A verbal amendment in the constitution of district institutes defers the election of representatives to the annual meeting in November in each year. The following remits were unanimously agreed to: '(1) That the Minister be. asked to reintroduce, as soon as possible, the regulation providing for the substitution of an assistant for two pupil teachers; (2) that the clause formerly in the regulations under the Education Act of 1877, declaring the Minister's decision upon all disputed points in the regulations to be binding upon all to whom it is communicated, should be reinstated in the present regulations; (3) that a colonial scheme of salaries for inspectors be drawn up, and that tie minimum salary for inspectors be the maximum paid to headmasters; (4) that inspectors should be appointed and controlled by the Education Department. Referring to superannuation matters, the Minister is to be asked to provide means whereby teachers who, for various reasons, did 'not enter the scheme as original members, may be enabled to do so now upon the payment of back conI tributions and interest thereon.

The report stated that an increase of 238 in the membership has brought the total within measurable distance of 2500. The executive noted with pleasure the progress made in promotion matters in Auckland, Wanganui, Taranaki, and Southland, and urged that special efforts should be made to educate puhlie opinion on this question. Efforts had been made to secure an increase of annuities payable to those who had retired prior' to the amending Act of 1908, but without success. The report concluded with a reference to the newly-formed benevolent fund, towards which purses were bein« contributed by the various district institutes.