EDUCATION ACT AMENDMENT.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20790, 25 February 1933, Page 9

EDUCATION ACT AMENDMENT.

/ • 1 COMMENT ON BILL. VIEWS OF EDUCATIONAL, INSTITUTE. The executive of the New Zealand Educational Institute offers the follow ing comments on the Education Amendment Bill now before Parliament. The sections of the Bill with which the institute is more particularly concerned are those relating to appointments, to the suspension and flning of teachers, the enrolment of infants, and the fixing of school holidays.. In respect of Section 2, the executive welcomes the consolidation of the law relating to appointments, but points out certain aspects that are the cause of alarm to teachers. The fear of teachers is that so many additional exceptions to the operation of the graded list will seriously, weaken it as the basis of a just and. reasonable system of appointment. If the section is enacted as drafted there will be so many occasions for disregarding the graded list that its authority will be almost destroyed. The large number of transfers that must follow on the exclusion

of the five-year-olds and the establishment of intermediate schools make this a very serious matter, and add emphasis to the claim of teachers for the right of appeal against non-appoint-ment; Special attention is drawn vo subsection (8); whereby the yalue vt special .qualifications for special positions is gravely discounted. ■ The executive asks that the law relating to these special positions remains as it is; or, in the alternative, that the right of appeal be accorded. The power of transfer, which under this section becomes almost a general one, is to be welcomed if accompanied by proper safeguards- But the section as drafted makes no mention of the payment of removal expenses, and without that the power of transfer must be either largely ineffective or a source of intolerable hardship. Intermediate Schools. ■ The institute lias long advocated '.he establishment of the Intermediate School, but it has strong objections to offer to the piece-meal manner of effecting this, as indicated by the pill. It is a reform that is long overdue, and the institute's view is that such an important measure should form part of a comprehensive reform of the education svßtem. The institute affirms without hesitation that before the intermediate schools are established provision should be made for the unification of control in each local area under the direction of a National Education Board. Witn<jut that it is impossible that the intermediate schools can work to the best advantage or give the best results. Eegarding Section 4 (1), as the reference to school mittees is to be deleted from subsection (1) of section V, are only two comments- that tne executive desires to make. The first of these is that suspension is too serious a step jto take in connexion with ' neglect, of duty " ov "disobedience to a lawful command." It appears to the .executive that the present law gives ample power to deal with these matters and lias worked quite satisfactorily., The second matter is in T eference to salary. If suspension is followed by dismissal no salary is payftbler-an(S rightly bo. But if the suspension is proved to be anvta-rranted ana is reversed the teacher has no claim as of right to pavment of salary, but has to await the consent of the Minister. This is unjust, and the executive asks that it be remedied.

Proposed. Fines. It was vrith surprise and regret that the executive saw in the Bill the revival of the proposal' to impose unes on teachers. The executive is (well assured that there is no good reason for this, and is unaware of any desire or cnlj for it. f The position has not altered since the proposal was made, and dropped, in 1927. There is ample power to discipline teachers without subjecting them to this indignity. An Education Board may censure and reprimand—no light" matter in the , teaching, service,where promotion depends largely on reputation. , - j , • The inspectors may, and aq, downgrade, a teacher for defaults in, duty, and this may involve loss of salary as well as loss of the prospect of advancement. Members of the service who are not amenable to such means of discipline as these—if there arp such—ought to be'dismissed, and not be allowed to bring a stigma Such as is represented by this proposal on the whole service. That it is a stigma is felt by the whole service, and is obviously, so regarded outside the ; tne head-, ings used by the newspapers in describing the Bill. The executive-is glad to bo able to'call to Witness also the widespread protest against the proposal that th© press has made, as well as the objections that have been made by Education Boards. ' Taking section 4 as a whole, the executive considers that it is uncalled for, ill-considered, and unreasonable, casting an unmerited reflection on a service that has done nothing to. deserve it, and that it can do no good that could not have been attained under the existing law. The executive earnestly asks the House not to adopt it. - In the proviso to section 8, tjie executive desires it to be made clear that the operation of the proviso will be retrospective as far as the present school term is concerned.

The executive hopes that section 11 will be withdrawn. The reason for this is that boards, having knowledge of local conditions, are able to make arrangements to meet letn. A great deal may bo said in favour. of synchronising holidays in each locality, but the executive considers that power should bo retained by local authorities to meet local needs and circumstances. Appeal Against Non-Appointment. The executive has. been led to believe that one of the, reasons for introducing section 4 (3) of the Bill was that it would bring the teacher* into line with the other public services. If the principle of uniformity is to be applied in one case it.should be in others. The executive seizes the opportunity afforded by the introduction of the Bill to bring forward once more the claim that teachers should have tho right of appeal against non-appoint-ment, as other services have. The executive repeats reasons. In particular the extension of tho practice of-making "special" appointments, the uncertainties attending the operation of the , "two Decembers" clause, the unknown influence of confidential 'reports and the great increase in the number of transfers due to the exclusion of the

—J, *■*—S five-year-olds an<l the introduction «] the intermediate schools ' reader [ awir* argent than ever the seed for th« getting up of an authority—tho Qxecatfri is not wedded to any particular foiua—that shall have the power to isi tin reason why certain appointments an made or not made. , Tlie executive desires to , the granting of this right Tfttfaai | take away or -weaken any powwrs pr>s scssed by an elation h-paird; or. otltw body. It is a .measure to which the leaehera, a Jargo "ta&jr <»' the servants of the State, tire Many eases can he 'quoted 'fb investigation, and the executive fident that if an authority irau# aot Oj with power 1o investigate, thtt effec would be' that the number <»f would be so. rcdneecl as The mere "fact that an' might, be ca'Jed for wooM prw«s-ffci occurrence of eases of th« JdlwjL