EDUCATION COMMISSION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 291, 5 June 1912, Page 5

EDUCATION COMMISSION

A SENSIBLE STATEMENT. Ei Ifi('graph—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. The Royal Commission on education met this morning. Mr. Hogben, further examined, said that he was not altogether in favor of competitive scholarships, He would like to see substituted a scholarship secured by children when they reached a standard fixed by the State at which further work in secondary or high schools was admissible. He outlined «. scheme for a further extension of scholarships to country children, ud advocated hostels for their accommodation, instead of allowing them to go indiscriminately to boarding-houses. Asked his views on arithmetic, Mr. Hogben said that he would simplify vulgar fractions and percentage, and cut out Troy weight. He thought the children of New Zealand were over-examined, but parents demanded it. History and civics should be taught more.

THE DUTIES OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES. TEACHERS' SALARIES. Auckland, Last Night. "Children are less examined now than they used to be, but they are still overexamined," said the Inspector-General of Schools (Mr. Hogben) at to-day's sitting of the Education Commission.

"I have no hesitation in saying that we are an over-examined community," was the opinion expressed by Mr. E. K. Mulgan, chief inspector under the Auckland Board. "Children are examined from the cradle to the grave. The result is that there is a tendency to lose sight of the real objects of education on the part of teachers, pupils and parents. Examination of some kind is necessary. For one reason, the public must have some safeguard that the work of the schools is being carried on properly." He suggested that, instead of three, two term examinations should he made by the headmaster in each year. The part taken by school committees in the selection of teachers for primary schools was the subject of a question addressed to Mr. Hogben by Mr. Kirk. "Committees in some parts of the Dominion," said Mr. Hogben, "have too much voice in the choice of teachers." He considered that committees should have some opportunity to express an opinion, but the Board should make the actual selection. He was certainly opposed to any extension of committees' powers in regard to the appointment of teachers, for the reason that they were not in the possession of the information necessary for the making of a selection. They had only paper and hearsay evidence, or information they gained from teachers who interviewed the members. Mr. Hogben agreed with the members of the Commission that a mistake had been made in giving to a committee the final choice when four names were submitted to it.

Mr. Pirani said that in order to avoid the effects of that mistake the boards sent only one name to committees in each case.

Questions relating to the staffing of primary schools were discussed by Mr. Mulgan, chief inspector under the Auckland Board of Education. Mr. Mulgan said that a great deal had been done by the Inspector-General in the matter of giving to schools more liberal staffing, but some of them, though the regulations were complied with, were, in his opinion, understaffed. In some of the large schools as many as 60 or 70, and even more, pupils were under one teacher, and that was too many children for one teacher. It was true that in such a class there would be a pupil teacher, but he could give very little practical assistance. There vrnd a short supply of teachers. One cause was that the period of training was so long. A teacher could not earn an assistant's salary before the age of twenty-two years, "Another reason," he added, "is that we do not pay our teachers and assistants enough, There are not enough prizes. In fact, I think there are no prizes at all. The service, I consider, if I have been correctly informed, is grossly underpaid." The maximum salary paid to headmasters, he said, was £4OO, with £SO house allowance.

Mr. Davidson, a member of the Commission, remarked that it took six years to reacli the highest grades. Mr. Mulgan added that there were only a few positions for which that salary was paid. The result was that teachers lacked the incentive to work that existed in other professions, in which there was a chance of promotion and success.