EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 June 1918, Page 2

EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.

To tjp» BEtst) i Sii?r—They formation of School Com. mittees'' Associations throughout HmtBaki must be: ameeded as a good move. iMot that there, is any-reason to cavil at the work accomplished by the Ta.irnm.lni Education. Boani* but.rather that the Ab- | sociatkm. will ie -of.' great value' to. the Board ia going to, the Department foe necessary improvements in hniMiTim. 'etc. The Teachera* Institute hastem ; prominently before" the. public- of late in 'toeing- the Government' to improve' on .amend t3re- education syßtem,. and every■wiere received sympathetic rapport., The. School l Committees' Association has :alßo. accomplished l good work during it®, ishort life, and when. the. objects are better understood it will prove of great value to the Board in insisting upon .more generous treatment being given by 'the Government. With ' Education Baaxds, unanimous School COTHmttees, land the Teadiers' Institute continually 'pegging away it is. more than probafole that the Hon. J. A. Hanan and Mr Anderson, at the head of the .Department,, will foe persuaded that the whoJe tion question requires remodelling. The salaries of teachers do. not appear to- be on a generous scale, mow particularly in case of male teachers, and in many instances requires' a generous lift, whilst

the housing of some of the teachers and' the conditions of some of the schools are anything but likely to make a Blaster or headmistress contented with. Sis or her surroundings. . Given reasonablecomfort and" prospects of advancement and adequate pay there should be no dearth, of pay, and the triangle bodies may Be able to accomplish reforms which are insuperable to a lone-haaded effort by tho Education Board. Members of the Board take a keen interest in the. Association,, the chairman (Mr B. Masters) being ever ready to assist, whilst MrS. G. Smith, a member of the Bpard, is also President of the Association, and, like Mr Master, a 'live- wire"' jm the cause of education. Apart from; ;the-value-of the Association in assisting the- Board in; helping forward the cause ,of education, there are really-very fewin'Taranakt who-are aware-of tho'stapend■ous amount of work carried out by the Education Board, although members-, of the Board receive no remuneration japart from the bare' travelling-expenses. iThis surely is aoi) right, and. considering the vast, amount of time, devoted to the interests- of: education, ancwouldt imagine •tha- chairman would receive a salary. Lesser, and; by no means as wealthy, . bodies a& the. State, pay or donate yearly a sum. as some, recompense to the work accomplished' by the men at tfce head of control, and it is> rather surprising ithat these positions should be purely The*following details will give some- idea of the- work entailed' in the eauso of education by thb Taianaki Boaasd, which, takes in ten-County Counicils. and sixs: Borough Councils. The area also includes three Hospital Boards, three- Harbour Boards and three Town Boards. Their schools also dm to lie ! found in the constituencies of , three. Ws&. K the.major portion of a fourth: ~ and a- slice of territory runs into- a fifth- | constituency. The aggregate- number of schoiaTs, 10,000, are sheltered in 169' schools, and controlled by 460 teachers, ; approximately 24 scholars to each .teacher. Besides the 460 engaged!in edu- |! eating- the youthful mind, the- Board has: jalso an office staff, building staff audi: | joinery factory, and' (take note* of th»> £IOO,OOO in salaries, etc., paid per annum. The supervision of this is by six | members, who do it for the honor and ; glory. Taxanaki is indeed fortunate in having business men of ability ever ready to advance the cause of education. In the absence of receiving no salary, one may be pardoned for catting it a "hobby" by members, and it is a very expensive one, and may the "hobby" long continue. But isn't the labourer worthy of his hire? Surely so in this instance, and here is a move for the general public, particularly those who. hav« children at school should interest themselves.—l am, etc., EDUCATIOITAiUEST, ■ | I ]