EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 October 1920, Page 5

EDUCATION.

MINISTER'S NEW BILL SYSTEM OF APPOINTMENT. (By Wire.—Parliamentary Reporter.)} • Wellington, Last Night, I Tlie Education Amendment Bill, Intro* , duced to-night, contains a number <rf* machinery amendments in the Education Act, 1!)14, intended to remove difficulties in connection with administration. It contains also some very important new clauses dealing with the appointment of teachers, the raising of the. coin-> m pulsory school age, the employment Qt-M probationers, the staffs and salaries of ■ teachers of secondary* and technical schools, Education Board accounts, and the appointment or election of managers of technical school boards. The provisions regarding the appoint" went, of teacliers are being amended w as to require the board to select for ap-< pointment or transfer, the candidate who is highest on the grade list of unless in the opinion of the board ani the senior inspector, some other teacher is more suitable for the position under consideration. Provision is also being made for the giving of preference in making appointments, to teachers who have served for not less than two yean |in country districts. Boards are alto empowered to transfer without loss of salary teachers receiving salaries higher than the grade of the salary pertaining to the position occupied by them; alio to give some preference in" making ftp* pointments to teachers with two year* country service. SCHOOL ACE RAISED,

The compulsory school age, which fy at present H, is being raised to 15 ifli the case of all pupils who have sot passed standard six, and who are with-it reasonable walking distance of a schodL Attendance at school up to the age of If is also made compulsory jin the case at those who have passed standard sis, un«i less the distance from a school provid* ing instruction in advance of the work of standard six is more than four mile*. In the case of children over 14, <fls» clause is to operate from a date to b» lix«d by Order-in-Council not sooflcf than January 1, 1922. Provision is also made whereby, after this year, no State or national scholar, ships can lie held at private or denominational schools, but only at State High Schools and technical school* ' The policy of the department for sonw time has been to eliminate the pupil teacher, and to increase the number of probationers in training as teachers. Tb.4 salaries of probationers wore recently substantially increased, ancfH'is V lO " 1 posed in the Bill to :ciuiirp *f„> m ta teach for twenty hour.-, f , A •.>■!>. :"M«te»d( of fifteen as formerly, ana c - ,flowi them to become contributor* to ska teachers' superannuation kind, , "" -' TECHNICAL SCHOOLS. New provisions are made for tha election of managers of technical schools, providing for the election or appoint' ment of from one to three members by each of the following: (a) the Education, Board; (b) to represent employers in local industries; (s) to represent employees; (d) local bodies within five miles of the school. Parents of pupila of technical high schools will elect three members and tiie school committees one member.

The present provisions foi the payment oi grants and capitation for tcea pupils for the maintenance of secondary schools and technical schools are beingrepealed,' and in future the staff nu-l salaries of these schools, with some ox-" ceptions, will be provided in accord*; ante with the Dominion scale prescribed by regulations. This is being done in; order to secure uniformity in the staff*? and salaries of these schools, and to reni move many anomalies connected there«i ivith. Provision is also being made (of grants to meet the cost of incidental expenses and administration. " i

The law regarding Education Board! accounts is being amended so as to permit expenditure out of the general at buildings maintenance fluid, of such an amount as the Minister may approve, on workshops and plant for the making of furniture and for building operations; also, of such an amount as the Board may deem necessary on material fittings and furniture to be used for school builds nigs. This amendment is found necessary, more especially at the present time, when boards are rinding it ve.-y difficult to purchase building material and joinery, and many of the boards, as the result of experience, find it much)'. more economical and satisfactory to undertake the repair, maintenance, and erection of buildings by their own staff* than to rely upon getting the work donei bv contract. /

•SPECIAL CLASSES. Other clauses of the Bill provide fo? the transfer of the medical inspaeior* toj the Health Department; for the estab" bailment of special classes for children/ such as backward children, delicate children, and others; for the increase of the penalty for disturbing ai school from .-£2 to £10; for requiring nominations for school committees u week beforehand in the case of all schools of over 120 in average attend-* ani-u; for increasing the age at which' women teachers may be compelled tot. retire from 55 tq 00;' for the abolition of the distinction between standard six pro ficiency certificates and certificates of; competency; and for the transfer of teacher when the grade of salary of tha, position held is raised, unless aucblj teacher has as good a claim as othefl* tearhers to promotion to the higher grade of salary. ; The Bill was read a second time pro' forma, and referred to the education committee.