GRADING OF TEACHERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 209, 1 September 1920, Page 7

GRADING OF TEACHERS.

ALLEGED TTWFAIKNESS. REPJJY TO AUCKLAND'S CO MPT, AT NTS. (By Telegraph.—Special to "Star.") WELLINGTON, this day. The Minister of Education, interviewed with respect to a complaint by Auckland teachers of unfair grading as the result of reduction in marks, "said: "I have gone into this matter. Last week I gave Mr. G. H. Taylor, secretary of the Auckland Educational Institute, the opportunity of presenting a ease for the Auckland teachers to tho Standing Committee of eight representative teachers and.inspectors appointed by the May confer-1 encc to advise mc upon grading matters. | The committee includes an experienced j inspector. The Assistant Director was j also present, and dealt with various | points submitted by tile Auckland j teachers. 1 also attended, and carefully followed the whole discussion. Ne.\t day, after deliberation, the committee, acting independently, informed mc that it i had passed the following resolution: I "That while recognising that the statement, of the Auckland teachers was made i in perfectly good faith, this committee,! on all the evidence submitted, in of 1 opinion that the grading of the Auckland ' teachers is on the whole equitably com-; pared with the grading of other teachers in the Dominion, ana is uot prejudicial! to their interests in the way of promotion.' " "The impression left in my mind," said Mr. Parr, ""was that the Auckland teachers have been unfortunate in not j having all the facts and figures before! them. Mr. Taylor certainly presented j allegations which required explanation by the Department, but in every case 1 am bound to say that the Department,! by bringing forward full comparison tables of districts which Mr. Taylor had not been able to present, was able to throw quite a dinerent lig.'it on each matter; indeed, with every desire to help Auckland teachers, I was forced to the conclusion that they | had not established t,he'ir allegation that the new grading scheme, in seeking to get uniformity, between different districts, acts to the vital prejudice of their interests. Further, 1 believe that I teachers with grievances, if they had had fuU facts In front of them, would have to come to the same conclusion. 1 desire that there should be no room for further misunderstanding. I have, therefore, directed Mr. Caughley to proceed to Auckland at an early date, in order that h<> may meet the teaching profession generally, and put the same facts mid figures with respect to comparative ; grading before them as tb<; department j placed before the committee last week. ! Tiie assistant director will take, com- ' plaints seriatim and deal with tiiem on ' the epot. I think tli / vmrse will re- j move some very evident misapprehen- , sion."