Call For Post-Primary Teachers’ College

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30741, 4 May 1965, Page 20

Call For Post-Primary Teachers’ College

The Canterbury region of the New Zealand post-pri-mary Teachers’ Association will continue to fight for a post-primary teachers’ college in Christchurch. This decision was reaffirmed at the region’s annual conference on Saturday. Delegates felt that the training of post-primary teachers could function better in their own college. Just as high schools were separate institutions, so, on the grounds of finance and administration .should post-pri-mary teacher training be divorced from the primary teachers’ training colleges. Auckland had its own postprimary college, and the training of post-primary teachers was going better now it was away from the primary college, delegates agreed. After hearing a report from Mr T. M. Penny, a member of the national executive and a member of the National Advisory Council of Teacher Training, the meeting decided to draw up further proposals for the training of teachers together with representatives of the teachers’ college branch and other interested branches. These proposals would be circulated as soon as possible. The incoming chairman, Mr B. A. Smart, senior secondary assistant at the Akaroa District High School, said that the complete abolition of the district high school system would sever an unwieldy, unworkable, and thoroughly unhappy set-up. He was speaking to a remit from Akaroa that the association support the complete

abolition of the district high school system, this system to be replaced by form I-VI schools regardless of size. “Torn By Strife”

Many district high schools were torn by strife which adversely affected both teachers and children, he said. If pri-mary-trained teachers were considered capable of running sole-charge primary schools, graduate post-primary teachers should be able to run sole-charge high schools. The conference passed this remit, and also adopted one that the Education Department be urged to add forms one and two to the secondary departments of all district high schools. The conference carried a remit from the Shirley Boys’ High School that the chief examiners for school certificate be instructed to make their reports more detailed in respect of the allocation of marks in their marking schedule. A further remit from Shirley was also adopted. It stated that teachers in subjects such as art, music, and physical education be given the same opportunity for promotion as teachers of academic subjects. Shirley wanted to see more senior places made available for teachers of these subjects. Officers elected were: chairman, Mr B. A. Smart (Akaroa District High School); secretary, Mr E. A. Johnstone (Riccarton High School); treasurer, Mr J. Murdoch (Cashmere High School). Miss J. W. Runciman (Hillmorton High School) was elected to the regional executive.