TEACHERS OUT OF WORK.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18970, 7 April 1927, Page 5

TEACHERS OUT OF WORK.

"WJLL RIGHT ITSELF." REASON FOR SURPLUS. Tuc position regarding unemployed teachers in Canterbury is somewhat acuto at the present time, but it is expected that it will right itself by the end of the year. It is not so bad as last year. The teachers concerned find it hard to find other employment offering similar inducements and are content to wait till they can be absorbed. The bond they have entered into does not seriously affect the position, as tew contemplate leaving the profession. Moreover, the Department lias never enloreed the bond. Many of the socalled Unemployed teachers, the majority of whom are women, are in temI )o ™ry employment in the service. I his is the state of teachers and unemployment in Canterbury as gleaned jrom enquiries made- in the City yesterday. Air C. R. Kirk, secretarv of the Canterbury Education Board, gave the number or teachers in employment in Canterbury as 1150. Of the 90 teachers without work a good number were *t present in temporary employment. 'Vacancies occur so quickly," added Mr Kirk, "and I am confident that before the end of the year we will be scraping round for teachers."

Position Explained. ''The present position is a little acute, but is only temporary and is quite easy to explain,'' said Mr J. E. Purchase, Principal of the Christchurch Training College, when asked for his views. Some two or three years ago there was a shortage of trained teachers, and tho then Minister for Education. Sir James Parr, increased tho training facilities. This had been a little overdone, and the system of curtailment since adopted i had not yet had time to balance the previous policy. This year and last year the number of teachers attending tho Training College had been cut down by fifty, and this meant that the standard had gone up. It was the exception rather than the rule for a Training College student to be accepted unless he or she had a higher leaving certificate.. Competition had made this possible. As far as Canterbury was concerned they were training teachers for both Bawke's Bay and Nelson, and the number of teachers turned out for Canterbury at. the end of this year would be fewer than for some years past. Enforcgment of Bond. Mr Purchase could not call to mind any case where the bond had been enforced where a teacher had left the service. Legally the bond was enforcible where a woman teachc left to get married if she had not carried out the requisite -number of years' teaching, but it had been allowed' to lapse | by common consent. It could and certainly would be enforced where the Department deemed it necessary. In this Connexion Mr Purchase spoke of the number of years for which the average trained teacher served the State. "It is about four after they leavo the College," ho said, _ Eighty per cent, of them got married. In this way 'a surprising number of vacancies occured, and it was necessary to have a number of teachers on hand, Allotment System. "But tilings will never adjust themselves propei lv until they adopt the allotment system with teachers coming out of tiajning college," continued Mr Purchase, Instead of allowing a teacher to ehoose his own .school they should take the number of vaoant positions und the teachers availableand say, "We have allotted you Wns position, and you that/' and so on. This would obviate all over-supply at the beginning of the year and a possible Shortage ftt> the end, The individual preferences of the student could also be taken into aceount by this system.

MARRIED WOMEN'S POSITION. BOARD SEEKS DISCRETIONARY POWER. [THE PREBS 3p«ci*l BexvHe-] AUCKLAND, April 6During a discussion by the Education Board on the question of teachers unable to obtain permanent positions, the chairman (Mr 11. Burns) said that there were married women teachers in the employ of tho Board who were not sole bread-winner?, while other teachers were walking about out of work. It is just a question whether the Board should make representations to the Department again, to give the Boards discretionary power in the employment of these Women," he said. He believed that if a referendum were taken amongst the teachers, they would vote against married women teachers, although many of them were very desirable and efficient. lib waa resolved to request the Department to have a clause inserted. ln the Education Bill this year giving Boards discretionary power in the matter of employing married women teachers.