TEACHERS' PAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 142, 17 June 1936, Page 10

TEACHERS' PAY.

RELIEVING SCALE. IS IT TOO GENEROUS ? LURE OF CITY LIFE. EDUCATION BOARD PBOBIEM. Pointing out that Education Boards were being hampered in the filling of positions, and that rural schools were in danger of suffering from the employment of relatively inferior teachers, and emphasising that it was necessary to take some action in the matter, the Director of Education (Mr. N. T. Lambourne) forwarded a letter, read at the meeting of the Auckland Education Board this morning, in which lie made a number of suggestions to the board. The Alternative. The Director stated that education boards were experiencing great difficulty in filling Grade I. sole charge positions and Grade I. assistanceships with qualified teachers. Boards were being faced with the alternative of employing uncertificated and retired teachers. At the came time, there was a' surplus of nearly 200 certificated teachers employed in excess of schedule requirements, approved additional assistants, and ordinary relieving-teachers. Unfortunately, a, liumber of those quite able to secure appointment failed to i'.pply for permanent positions or in some oases to accept relieving work outside large centres. Some boards with a large surplus had even contemplated the engagement of uncertificated teachers. Boards had alleady taken into service over 100 letired teachers.

The director' suggested that boards should notify individually all additional relieving teachers that they could be retained on the salary list only 011 condition that they made every reasonable effort to secure permanent employment and also accepted relieving work wherever offered; and that the question of abolishing the position of additional relieving assistants might have to be considered, in which case those 119W acting as additional relieving teachers would, in order to remain 011 the salary list, have to secure permanent jiositions or employment as ordinary relieving teachers when vacancies for such teachers occufVed. He further suggested that the boards should employ no more additional assistants without obtaining the permission of the Department previ'ous to making appointments; should employ no more uncertificated teachers, except in grade 0 schools, or teachers who had retired from the service, unlesg permis.sion to do so had been obtained; should, ask other boards with a distinct; surplus of additional relieving teachers to supply teachers to <tct as ordinary relieving teachers; and-..should fill all grade 1 sole charge or assistantship vacancies for which, there were no suitable applicants with relieving teachers, drawing upon the additional relieving teachers where necessary and selecting the best of these as a rule. The' Remote Allowance. Mr. S. Sims said that perhaps positions in backblock schools would be made more attractive if a remote allowance was made.

Mr. D. W. Dunlop, the secretary, said that the position was that teachers were too well paid as relieving teachers. Realising that such teachers liad to stand down for some time during a year, the rate of pay.,vha4... i jfc>een fixed fairly high. Later^.at ; by' the Education Department; -thjifcriilieving teachers must be employed all fhe time at relieving r.atdsT, afid their'expenses paid, together . with a-bo'anfing allowance.

"Tlie result- is. < that the relieving teachers say 'What is the; use of applying for positiohs .iii.' country schools, when we are Better off in the city " added Mr. Diirilop. ' He said the whole trouble was that the .pay: for relieving teachers was-at* present'too high. • However, at Christmas there would be . over. 100 trainees coming'out'of the Training College, and th?y.; wojild .'-.Jiaye ,\o /'be S. placed. Tfc'is vP|ould -probably mean that some of the present relievirigtrteacher's would have.to go out/to-the back country schools;The chairman, Mr.' T. U. Wells: The trouble is that the. positions in the city are too attractive. The remote allowance would have to be large to induce the young teachers to leave the towns.

Mr. W. I. Boyer. said he would like a record kept of all relieving teachers who refused to apply for backblocks'positions. They might find the attitude they were adopting would have - a boomerang effect.

The letter was received, and the matter will be discussed at the annual conference to be held in. September.