TRANSFER OF TEACHERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 20, 24 January 1929, Page 6

TRANSFER OF TEACHERS.

At first sight it would appear that the system of transferring 1 teachers where their schools have risen in grade, and advertising the vacant position, discussed at the meeting of the Education Hoard yesterday, would be likely to inflict considerable hardship. In some cases the school has risen in grade owing to the popularity and ability of the teacher,, and thus the more successful the teacher is the greater the danger lie is in of losing his post and being transferred to another school. But, on the other hand, there have been many case?, where the rise of the school has not been due in any marked way to the popularity or ability of the teacher, but has been due simply to the growth of population in the district. Formerly whatever grading a teacher might hold, he rose with his school, and thus a large school might be under the charge of a teacher holding a very low grade, and those holding higher grading would be placed in charge of schools smaller in numbers and with a lower salary. The Act does not make the transfer of a teacher mandatory when his school has risen in grade, but it makes it permissive for the Hoard to transfer the teacher and advertise the position. On the Board, therefore, lies the responsibility of meeting the difficulty. It has to be noted also that assistants are in the same position as the head teacher, and they must either rise with the school or be transferred to another. At first the matter was left to the senior inspector, and transferences or retentions were marie very largely on his advice. This was not found to be entirely satisfactory, so the Board initiated the system of taking the average grading marks for the last two years of all those appointed to positions in that grade. If a teacher whose school had gone up in grading was found to possess the average for the higher grade, he was allowed to remain. If he came below the average he would be transferred and the position advertised. This has not been quite satisfactory,

but it was deemed the best way out of a difficult position. Some hard-and-fast rule had to be made, and, like all such rules, this particular one has failed to meet all cases in a manner to suit all the interests concerned. A teacher, who has failed to get the average for the higher grade, may yet be in other ways far better fitted for a post than one who is graded higher. Probably the most satisfactory way out of the difficulty would be for all teachers to be paid on their grading, and not on their school. But this would mean a complete reconstruction of the system now established, and till this is done the Board has probably devised the best solution unclothe circumstances. ...