TEACHER OBJECTORS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25243, 23 July 1947, Page 6

TEACHER OBJECTORS

EARLY CLARIFICATION OF POSITION From Our Own Reporter WELLINGTON, July 22. The Canterbury School Committees’ Association decided at a recent meeting to seek a ruling from the Government on the present position of conscientious objectors in the teaching profession. Inquiries made by “The Press,” suggest that the position will be clarified within a few weeks. The opinion was expressed by one speaker at the association’s meeting that conscientious objectors were definitely out of the teaching service, but the emergency regulations passed in 1941 refer only to the duration of the war. Legislation cancelling these regulations and many other emergency measures will probably come before the House of Representatives at a fairly early date. The emergency regulations concerning conscientious objectors state that * the education authority by which the teacher is employed shall give to the teacher a notice that ... he will be deemed to be on leave of absence from his position without pay for the duration of the war and the teacher shall be deemed 4o have been granted leave of absence accordingly.” Referring to defaulters, the regulations state that any teacher who has teen convicted of defaulting “may, with the concurrence of the Minister, be dismissed without notice by the education authority by which he is employed, and if he is not dismissed shall be granted leave of absence for the duration of the war as .if he had appealed on the ground that he conscientiously objects to serving with the armed forces.”