LOYALTY OF TEACHERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 December 1921, Page 5

LOYALTY OF TEACHERS.

THE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE.. PRIVATE SCHOOLS INCLUDED. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Education Amendment Bill was taken in committee in the House tonight. In clause seven the Education Committee added a. provision that teachers in private schools must take the oath of allegiance before the school would be considered “efficient.” Mr. H. E. Holland (Leader of the Labor Party) objected to the pointed exception which was being made of the teaching profession. If the principle was good enough to apply to teachers it was good enough to apply to everyone. That was a logical conclusion,, but the Government was not ridiculous enough to go that far. The clause would detrimentally affect Quakers and others who read the Bible literally. The Hon. C. J. Parr contended that no exception was being made with regard to teachers. (Every legislator, every judge and every magistrate had to take the oath before assuming office; even the Governor-General did so, so that if exception was being made of teachers they were being excepted in good company. Not one teacher in a thousand objected to take the oath and he read a letter from six hundred secondary teachers in support of his contention. Sir John Luke (Wellington North) said there was no desire to compromise the religious convictions of any one, and there was a provision to meet the case of Quakers and others who held similar views, but it was felt there should be some guarantee that teachers in private schools were loyal. The clause was passed. On resuming after supper the Bill was reported from committee, read a third time and passed.