TEACHERS' SALARIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 218, 13 September 1892, Page 2

TEACHERS' SALARIES.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—Mr Richard Udy has many friends in this community, who during bhis lasb week have expressed bheir surprise thab he has been lod to join thab section of the Board of Education which has for its object the spoliation of bhe headmasters of our large schools as well as the degradation of bhe establishments over which they preside. Should the schemo tor "paymenb of salaries to teachers" propounded ab tho last meeting of tho Board come into operation, ib will inevibubly have a mosb demoralising effecb upon bho Auckland s-hools. lioad masters" will geb away from bhe place as soon as opportunity offers, leaving bheir places to be filled by the young and inexperienced. Thore is no doubb that the policy of tho Board of Education for some years pasb has been altogether on wrong lines. Tho oducationoithepeoplehas nob been fostered, the largo town and suburban schools have been denuded of their able and experienced assistant teachers, the funds supplied by the Legislature havo nob been appropriabed to their propor object, the inspectorate has boen degraded by the small stipends allowed to inspectors, and now an attempt is being mado to spoil and ruin tho old servants of the Board, who accepted their positions believing bhab bheir tenure and emoluments were safe so long as they faithfully and honourably performed the duties for which they were ongagod. More than one of our headmasters have refrained from offering themselves as candidates for positions in other districts—Mr Harrison is an instance that such positions aro by no means unattainable—feeling bhab they were bound to Auckland by old ties and associations, and holding the faith thab full reliance mighb be placed in a Board ot Education which is really elecbod by bhe people for tho service of the people. Nor must ib be for one momenb expected thab it tho Auckland Board of Education should adopt the suicidal policy lately propounded by Messrs Udy and Muir, thab bhe obher education districts of the colony will follow suit. Nothing is more certain than this, that the peoplo of the South Island of Now Zealand, those of North and South Canberbury and Otago especially, will never cripple bho educabion system by the degradation of either inspectors or teachers. Ib may be urged, and very likely will be, that all this is special pleading, and that ib is merely contending for the continuance of a fairly good income to men who havo enjoyed bhe samo for the last dozen years or so. This will bo admitted at once, bub bhe contention is for their successors as well, who in the course of nature and circumstance musb be in bhe certainly nob vory far ofi future. The majority of tho present headmasters have a right to contend againsb' spoliation. Thoy came to us, not youths green and inexperienced, bub men in the primo of life, wibh experience of their work, and we may consider ourselves fortunate in having secured bheir services bo assist us in building up our presenb sysbom of education. How well Auckland has been served by bhem leb bhe youth of Auckland say, let scores of tho junior teachers answer. The headmasters of our schools have always protested in the strongest possible manner, both in speech and writing, againsb bhe reducbion of the salaries of tho Inspectors. There' nover was any necessiby for ib, and bhere is nothing to prevent their being placed at a proper figure now. Whon two Inspectorships were lately vacant,- one headmasbor was bold thab he could make a better income by retaining his presenb posibion as hoadmasber; now, forsooth, his salary is to be reduced because no Inspector is getting so much. The Board has plenty of monoy, very much moro than it ought to have, and without any difficulty inspectors could bo paid the proper salary their work and position demand, withoub taking it oub of the pockets of the headmasters of the schools. It is satisfactory to learn thab tho junior members of bhe profession aro quite as dissatisfied wibh Messrs Udy and Muir's schomo as are the headmasters of tho city and suburban schools. They declare that the prizes of the profession, to which they had a righb bo look forward to obbain, are being withdrawn, and nobhing sabisfactory given to them instead.

The City and Suburban School Committees will, if tho scheme in its entirety be broughb into operation, see their schools in a worse condition bhan ab presenb. The prssenb staffs of fairly experienced and competent assistants are to be entirely drafted away into the country disbriebs. Of course, bhe country schools should have able and competent teachers ; bub bbc town schools require men and women too of greater force of character to deal with thoir large numbers, to maintain and enforce discipline, and keep the tone of their schools, than are*1 absolutely necessary in small schools of, fifty or even a hundred pupils. To settle this vexed quesbion, bhe Cehbral Deparbment should be asked to take the matter into consideration, and nexb session of Parliamenb bring forward a colonial scheme of salaries which should obtain bhroughoub tho colony.—l am, etc., Sentinel.