SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18072, 14 May 1924, Page 11

SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

TEACHERS' CONFERENCES AT WELLINGTON. (PEESS ASSOCIATION TELEOBAJt.) WELLINGTON, May 13. At the annual conference of the New Zealand Secondary School Principals' Association, Mr J. Drummond, president, Mr Caughley, Director oji Education, and Dr. Marsden, Assistaut Director, attended. " It-was resolved, that the Association expresses regret t£)at. the old scale of salaries has not been published in the regulations, and requests the Department to publish the scale of salaries previous to the cut, as well as actual salaries payable after the deductions imposed by the. Public Servants Expenditure Act.

: It was decided that secondary school teachers should be required to . give three months' notice before leaving, instead of two. It was also resolved that Boards with tliedr principals should have full discretion in spending the sum sev aside for part time teachers, providing that the su~ be used for salaries for part time teachers. T,he Department is to be asked to substitute ff r the present per capita allowance for-part time teachers a sliding scale. ; : Considerable discussion took place upon receipt of a circular letter from the Auckland Grammar School Board dealing with certain difficulties which it was said had been experienced.

The circular stated that the Auckland B.oard had reason to believe that dissatisfaction was widely felt by secondary school boards in ■with the excessive and' increasing centralisation of control of secondary schools in the Education Department, Wellington. The powers of. Boards were taken away by the issue of successive regulations, and unless some effort was made to arrest the movement the Boards would be reduced to mere intermediaries, carrying' out mechanically the orders of the Department. It was suggested in the circular that some joint action should be taken and - a proposal was made in regard to a deputation to wait upon the Minister of Education.

Mr Cresswell moved: "That the principals of secondary schools favour tho system of local rating as a means of raising at least a, part 6f the, funds required for educational purposes, believing that such procedure Would: (a) Stimulate local interest and pride in education because of the measure of decentralisation; (b) put an end to the suspicion of preferential treatment as between district arid district; (c) bring about the much-needed divorce of education and politics;-,and (d) by giving .more initiative'and responsibility to local Boards, dignify- the membership' of such b.odies,. and the ablest men to accept , office. , The motion was seconded pro forma, but 1 it was decided to defer further discussion on the matter until later in the conference.

Assistants' Conference. The president of the Secondary Schools' Assistants' Association, Mr A. C. Gifford, in his opening -remrtrKa ! at the conference to-day, stressed tie importance of four or five years o secondary school life. In those yea the school was responsible for P rov " 1 ' ing the environment that might make or mar life's completeness. He advocated a much wider choice of special subjects, but. said that tins must" not be confused with pfematu specialisation. Those with b literary tastes should be relieved ol some of their work in other Education should do more than < the pupil to make a good < ■hviniJ, should,-,provide him with endu £ ' . increasing interest for the res .life. If the spirit of research could aroused in the schools, something wOuld be done towards the bettermen world. -