CONSCRIPTION OF TEACHERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 July 1918, Page 7

CONSCRIPTION OF TEACHERS.

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD'S POLICY REVIEWED. PK'EVIOIDS DECISION _AFFIRMED. The question of the policy of the Taranaki Education Board regarding tho position of its teachers called up for active service was reviewed at Wednesday's meting of the board. The board has from the first declined to appeal for its teachers called up for active service, and numerous letters have been received from school committees, those at Oaonui and Kapuni asking that their teachers be appealed for. The Eltham 'branch of the Taranaki School Committees' Association wrbte asking the board to re-con-sider its attitude in regard to appeals. The Director of Education also wrote forwarding a copy of a resolution passed by the Council of Education, urging hoards to appeal for all teachers whose cases have not yet been decided, and the Assistant-Director of Education also wrote suggesting that tho time had arrived when the matter of appealing for all teachers called up should be considered-

In dealing with the matter, the chairman (Mr. R. Masters) said, from a return he had prepared, before the calling up of the. Second Division, there were "G teachers eligible for service in the board's employ. Since the Second Division had been summoned, five of those teachers had left, the district, three h&4 gone to oamip, and four had been classed medically unfit. Of the 24 left, 11 were 40 year? of age or over, and therefore there was a possibility that the board would be left with not more than 11 •teachers ho understood the medical boards we. not passing men who were close to the age limit. Referring to applications for positions under the hoard's jurisdiction, he said 13 applications had been received recently from teachers outside the district, and the board had not been able to give positions to them. There were actually more teachers offering than the board had places to fill. All the schools had been kept open, and he believed the feoard was in just as good a position to-day in regard to the supply of teachers as it was when it previously pronounced its views on the matter. He understood that the Auckland, Otago, kelson," and Canterbury Boards were not appealing for teachers, but that Wellington and Wanganui Boards were. He saw no reason, however, for the board altering its policy. He did not consider shortage of teachers was due altogether to, the war, but was the result of not training a sufficient number of teachers to over-

take tlio wastage taking place. The Deportment did not make the profession attractive enough, and only recently had thev realised the necessity of granting an increase of salary to probationers and pupil teachers. That, however, had been largely discounted hv other branches of the Civil Service offering still higher Increases to their officers. The profession would not 'be one whit better off unless the Department made it more lucrative and attracted young lads to it. The Tnranaki Board had had several offers of service* from superannuated teachers, but in only one ease had they felt called upon to accept such an offer. The matter, however, was for the Itoard to decide as to whether it would continue the policy whicli had been followed up to the present. He said they regretted losing teachers, but the present was an exceptional time, and the position had to be met by exceptional means. He did not see in the face of their post experience, that they could appeal on the grounds of the shortage of teachers. He believed there were plenty of teachers in the South Island, and as the Government had passed legislation authorising the conscription of labor, he thought the same could be done in regard to school teachers, who should be sent into any. district in the Dominion when they might bo required. The question was, should

they appeal, and, if so, because their employees were male teachers and required on the grounds of efficiency or on the grounds of the shortage' of teachers? Mr. S. Gf. Smith moved—'That arrangements bo made to appeal for the remaining Second Division teachers in the board's service now called up for military service, on the grounds that, owing to the a«uto shortage of male teachers, it is necessary to retain male teachers in order to keep up the efficiency of the service." In speaking to the resolution, lie said the chairman had put bis views on the question in a clear and fair way, but he did not agree with those views. He considered the question of tiie education of the children was of moro importance now than at any other period. While agreeing that winning the war should be the first concern of everyone, he saw the possibility of the t'ruiifS of victory being lost if tiie boys of today were not prepared for the battle that would come after hostilities ceased. The question of the shortage of teachers did not affect the question under review. He referred to positions that the board bad had to AH recently, and stated that only at the last meeting three teachers had been appointed who had had no previous experience of teaching, and these teachers were given positions in country schools, which was like penalising the children of those districts If tiie supply was maintained in that way, possibly there would he no shortage. He considered the time had arrived when, in the interests of the education of the children of the district, the

board should appeal for all its teachers called up for service. Private schools were securing exemption for some of their teachers, and some education board* were also appealing. There were •also the opinions of the Director and, Assist an)-Director of Education, which suggested that teachers should now be appealed for. Mr "P. -T. White seconded the motionHe mentioned the action taken by the Government in appealing for civil servants in some other departments, whom he considered less essential than school teachers. He tool; it that the Government knew more about the progress of the war than the outsider, and if they considered certain men necessary in order to carry on the services of the country, it might reasonably be contended that the Education Departmeir? should reimrd teachers as essential. He thought it time the board reconsidered its position, and if it continued its present policy, be thought, it would be failing in its duty to the needs of the children of the present, generation. It was not merely a question of keeping schools stalled, but of keeping them staffed with efficient teachers. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson said the motion

was much too sweeping to secure his support. He thought cases should bo -lealt with on their merits. The Government ahould know the right course of action to lake, and the Department had advised that education boards should appeal for teachers. The Department, he thought, Should appeal wholesale for teachers, and not leave :t to the boards; but tliey did not. Mr. Smith: They haven't the power. Mr. Wilkinson, continuing, said the Government could do anything under the War Begulatios Act. He 'then referred to the. case of an ®tham teacher who had been called up for. service, but who was now doing hospital work at Eotorufl- That sort of thing gave cause Tot some of the letters received. He would like to see the board deal with, cases individually and appeal 11 xney thought fit. Mr. E- Dixon said he could not support the motion. The appointemnt of inexperienced teachers was only on a par with wh&t was being done in almost every other department of life. They must not lose Sight of the fact, however, that in all probability many teachers who had gone to the war would never return to tho profession. It was, therefore, all the more necessary that the Government should make the profession more attractive. They would have to offer more inducement to young men to

enter the profession, and if that was done, it might, after all, be ft God-send that some men had gone away to fight. Mr. 11. Trimible, in . opposing the motion, said hojdid noit believe there was a shortage of teachers. If there was, it was because sufficient teachers were not being trained, and because sufficient inducement was not offered for men to enter the profession. The Minister had referred to the profession as one tihat was "dying out," It would continue to die out if the conditions were not improved. He then referred to the position of a married teacher taking up an appointment at a country school, where his wife often had to perform the duties of charwoman for the buildings, on account of the difficulty of getting such Work done in those districts.. The chairman then moved the following amendment: —"That, as the board has not yet found any difficulty in filling the positiong of school teachers who are on active service, they affirm the principle that no appeals be made to the military service boards." He pointed out, in reply to questions raised during the discussion, that, though teachers without experience had been appointed, applications toy experienced teachers had been received from outsiide districts. He referred to the action taken by certain other Government Departments, and said lie believed tihe Government were sending all the men that could possibly be spared- The teachers themselves, however, should have some say in the matter, and he noted that the Auckland Teachers' Insti-

tute had expressed a wish that appeals should not be made on their behalf. Mr. Dixon /rew attention to what had been said regarding the appointment of inexperienced teachers while applications had been received from certificated teachers. of which he was very surprised to hearMr. Smith, replying as chairman of the Teachers' Selection Committee, said the committee had to take into consideration the nature of the appointment to be filled. One of the vacancies was at Turoto, and he was quite sure that if a certificated teacher had been appointed there the position would never have been taken up when the conditions wore known. If the 'board decided to (ieal with each case 011 its merits, lie was afraid the way would be opened to charges of favoritism. Referring to the question as to who should appeal for teachers, he said the Minister had stated that the boards were the employers and the only people who could appeal for teachers. If the Minister's statement was not rigiit, he should be called upon to correct it. He then referred to the recent speech of the High Commissioner, which was generally believed to have been an inspired uttejance, in which it was suggested that New Zealand had done enough, and that the reinforcements should be greatly reduced. In view, also, of the large number of exemptions of people less essential than teachers, he thought the board should now appeal for its teachersMr. Dixon pointed out that the reduction in the number of reinforcements to be sent was in reality an argument in favor of the board continuing its present policy.

Mr. Wilkinson said the amendment was also too drastic for him in the opposite direction, as it tied the board's hands too completely, no matter how long the war might last. On being put, the amendment was carried on tiie casting vote of the chairman, the voting being:—Ayes: Trimble, Dixon, and Masters. Noes: Smith, White, and Wilkinson. Mr. Wilkinson then moved the following amendment:—"That, in regard to military service, the board will in future deal with the question of appealing for it? teachers or officials on the merit's of each individual case aq occasion arises." Mr. Smith seconded tiie amendment. On being put, the voting was:—Ayos: Smith. White, and Wilkinson. Noes: Trimble, Dixon, and Masters. The chairman's casting vote was given against the amendment. Mr. Masters' amendment was then put as the substantive xfiotion, and carried. Mr. Smith then gave notice to move at the next meeting of the board (which will be the first meeting of the 'newlyelected board) that the motion respecting tho board's attitude towards appealing for teachers be rescinded.