EDUCATION.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 64, 16 March 1936, Page 8

EDUCATION.

MANY PROBLEMS.

MINISTER IN CONFERENCE. TRAINING COLLEGE WORK. Many questions affecting the Auckland Education Board were placed before the Minister of Education this morning, when he met members of the board at a special meeting. The chairman, Mr. T. U. Wells, referring to married women teachers, said the board had had sympathy with married women who had families to maintain, but not for women who had able-bodied husbands fit to keep them. The board proposed to employ married women in cases where it was necessary to make appointments to relieve the position when necessarv.

Dealing with the Training College, Mr. Wells said that instead of the trainees being admitted or rejected on the word of only one oflicer, the system should be changed tot a committee of three. He also suggested that an assistant senior inspector should be appointed in order to relieve the senior inspector and allow him to bring in a uniform system of appraisement. A post-primary school should be operated in conjunction with the Training College, as students were not welcome at most of the secondary schools. The Technical College and Auckland Boys' Grammar Schools were exceptions. He also asked forf an assembly hall for the Training College and an increase in the salaries of the principals. He also mentioned school consolidataion.

In the course of his reply the Minister said consideration would be given to the representations made. He was in favour of school consolidation and intermediate schools wherever the conditions were favourable. The position of married women would have to be reviewed. The inclusion of* five-year-olds would make it necessary to use some married women teachers to relieve the strain. In regard to Training College students there was often a lack of candour on the part of headmasters in respect to their reports. This was embarrassing and he did not expect it from those in responsible positions. Parents often received quite different reports to the confidential reports that went on the files.

Hie Minister said that the number of applicants for Training College positions did not show that the salaries offered were insuperable barriers.

Mr. Fraser said schools would be remodelled if it were possible to bring them up to date. It would be a waste of money to pull down buildings that could be modernised. When new buildings were erected he would like them to be of the open-air type, which were more suitable for the Auckland district than for any other part of the Dominion, because of the climate—"in most years at any rate."