Country Teachers Held Ignored For City Jobs

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30399, 25 March 1964, Page 1

Country Teachers Held Ignored For City Jobs

“The serious shortage of senior teachers in country schools will become even more pronounced if principals of city schools are permitted to continue to act as if service in a country school renders a teacher unsuitable for a city post,” said Mr W. J. Byrne, president of the West Coast region of the New Zealand Post-primary Teachers’ Association yesterday.

“This attitude is shown not only by the practice (becoming very common, particularly in Christchurch) of principals ignoring applications from country teachers,” said Mr Byrne, who is a teacher at the Greymouth High School.

“In a large number of cases such applications are not even acknowledged,” he said. “The provision for informing applicants of the name of the appointee is being ignored

and senior country teachers are being asked to withdraw their applications so that more junior teachers, already on the staff of city schools, may be appointed. There is no right of appeal against post-primary appointments. “The stage is being reached,” said Mr Byrne, “where no teacher will dare to accept a senior position in a country school lest he find himself unable, at a later date, to return to a city post. Obviously this will mean that country schools will not get senior staff. Already this is having its effect on West Coast schools. “Grim” Future

“Unless the Education Department is willing to make a stand to enforce both the letter and the spirit of the staffing and grading regulations, the future positions of the country schools is grim indeed,” said Mr Byrne. The regional superintendent of the Education Department (Mr T. M. Archer) said he was surprised by these claims and would be interested in examining specific cases.

“The department grades post-primary teachers but appointments are entirely in the hands of post-primary school

appointments must have our approval,” said Mr Archer.

“I would expect boards to appoint the best qualified applicants,” he said. “In most cases principals consult the district senior inspector but they are not bound to do this or accept his advice.”