THE NORTHERN TREK.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 170, 20 July 1928, Page 8

THE NORTHERN TREK.

BAN ON OUTSIDE TEACHERS.

AUCKLAND TAKEN TO TASK,

PAROCHIALISM RUN MAD."

(By Telegraph—Special to "Star.")

CHRISTCHURCH, this day

Under the heading, "Parochialism Run Mad," the "Lyttelton Times" in an editorial says: "The most charitable view to be taken of the facetious statement attributed to Mr. A. Burns, chairman of the Auckland Education Board, 'That there was a scarcity of teachers in the South Island and it would be a shame to take them away,' is that he has been misreported. There is, of course, always danger in condensing reports of conveying a wrong impression, but if the statement is substantially correct, it is a warning that the barriers have been elected around the Auckland education district, and that tcacheis from the southern part of the Dominion are not to be admitted. The position, as it appears to us, is wiioJly irregular: for the regulations make it plain that, with certain exceptions, a board is bound to appoint the applicant with the best grading. Only in cases of what are termed 'special appointments,' and in instances where the senior inspector of the district and the board apree that a lower graded applicant is best fitted for the position can any justification be found for refusing to appoint the teacher with the highest grading."

The editorial concludes: "If the action of the Auckland board is as reported, that body should wake up to the fact that such a narrow view was abandoned years ago by other boards, who saw the advantage of attracting the best teachers to their schools irrespective of district boundaries. This northern board does not appear to consider what is best for the children in its care. It does not want the best teachers; it wants only its own, so 110 southerner's apply, no matter how 'eminently they are fitted for any position in the Auckland district. The merits or demerits of (he grading scheme do not enter into the discussion, for. as Ion? as it is in operation. the highest graded applicant, with the exceptions already noted, should receive the appointment for which he applies. Otherwise the grading scheme should be abandoned; for if any board can make it inoperative, as the Auckland board has done by eliminating applicants from outside districts, it becomes a pitiable delusion. The Minister of Education cannot afford to ignore the action of the Auckland board but. unfortunatelv, there appears to be no legal method of compelling it to conform to the regulations governing appointments. The only way would he for him to refuse fo nay the salary of any teacher appointed contrarv to the regulations. Perhaps Mr. Wright may have eouraee to adopt this course. We have consistently opposed a movement in the direction of abolishing education boards, but the action of the Auckland board shows that it, at least. i« determined to provide good and sufficient grounds for their speedy abolition."