DISSATISFIED TEACHERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 August 1918, Page 5

DISSATISFIED TEACHERS.

MEETING IN AUCKLAND. Auckland, August 10. The disabilities under which the work of the primary schools is being carried! on were considered at a conference attended by the members of the Auckland • Bfead-inasters, Women ana Country Teachers' Association. The,' chairman said that the teaching profession at present was honeycombed wißhl discontent, and that the service conditions were fast becoming intolerable. Sounsatisfactory had they become that • many parents who were able to afford , the expense were sending their chiMren to private schools, mostly denomina* . tional, where, through the use of money, an environment could exist that few public schools Slave. The environment sought by the wealthy for their chil- . dren was just as necessary for the children of the rest of the community, and it was that for which teachers intended to fight. Though they disliked the necessity for political pressure, the Head- ' masters' Association had concluded that ■ it was the only remedy. It was proposed to ask the Educational Institute to promote a petition to Parliament similar to that which had been so successful in the case of the railway workers.. In order to prepare for this, by. /' moulding public opinion, they had pre-, pared a plan of campaign, under which it was proposed to seek remedies for the following disabilities:— Inadequate staffing of schools, necessitating the placing of classes under young and untrained beginners.

Overcrowded and unhygienic ciasS' rooms.

Congested playground spaces. Lack of Government depots for the'! supply of school requisites. j Inadequate grants to school commit--j tees..

Lack of sufficient disinfection ot schools and want of proper sanitation.

.Insufficiency of shelter accominoda-§ ; tion in school grounds, and ;v Lack of luncheon rooms for both ehil-;;>-dren and teachers. '■ ■>■ .■%.

A plan of campaign was drr.wn up by the Head-masters' Association, and adopted with the following planks:— Press campaign, and efforts <o obtain the Support and co-operation of the Auck- : land branch of the National Council of Women, labor unions, Workers' Eduea- ■ tfimal Institute, Farmers' Union, arid Himployers' Federation, and also a closer working arrangement with the School Committees' Asociation.

It was resolved that the schemei ■ should he submitted to the Management.' Committee of the Educational Institute with a request for endorsement.