SCHOOL TEACHERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 58, 10 March 1933, Page 9

SCHOOL TEACHERS.

POWERS OF APPOINTMENT. AMENDMENTS TO ACT. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. Amendments to the Education Bill were introduced in the House this morning by the Prime Minister, the Right Hon. G. W. Forbes. One alteration is intended to check too frequent staff changes at schools. At present, if teachers apply for a new position before the end of December, the letter of appointment may be withheld until January, which is not considered to be a desirable practice. By laying it down that applications are to be made after December 31, all doubt is removed, and uniformity of interpretation is secured. Another amendment permits boards, without the approval of the senior inspector, to refuse to appoint married women teachers where the prescribed term of service has been completed. The Prime Minister pointed out that it was not a question of the teacher's qualifications or -fitness, but of her financial position, which the board could decide. Through a misunderstanding it was proposed to empower school committees to suspend teachers for neglect of duty, but the clause ie to be amended to confine suspension of authority to cases of immoral conduct or grose misbehaviour. The provision for compulsory enrolment, in special cases, of subnormal children has been modified to provide for a special prior examination by the school medical officer, an alteration which was made at the instance of the Minister of Health. The committee stages, which were commenced this morning, were somewhat protracted, and up to noon only half the clauses had been adopted. These related to the appointment of teachers, control of intermediate schools, dismissals for gross misconduct, and power to impose a fine for an offence not involving immoral conduct or gross misbehaviour. In reply to a question, Mr. Forbes eaid that in casee of transfers arising out of over-scale salaries, removal expenses would be paid by the Department.