Questions On Country Teaching Answered

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30811, 24 July 1965, Page 23

Questions On Country Teaching Answered

A claim that teachers have no guarantee of securing town positions after country service, made by a correspondent, Mr J. F. Williams, has been answered by the district senior inspector of schools (Mr H. W. Findlay). Mr Williams says:— “Under the previous numerical grading scheme, the abandonment of which was strongly opposed by most Canterbury primary teachers, marks were given for service, for academic qualifications, and for ability as judged bv inspectors. Young teachers who went to country schools knew that after a period they would have a grading good enough to gain a town position if they wanted one. Today, grading is officially stated to be given for “competence as a general practitioner ... as judged by the inspector” and po heed need be taken, and in fact seldom seems to be taken, of a teacher’s service record or academic attainments. Thus no primary teacher, even if working in a very remote area, has the slightest guarantee that he will be able to gain a town position after some years. In such circumstances is it surprising that many teachers are unwilling to take country positions?” Mr Finlayson replies:— “The present system of appointment and promotion is an agreed scheme which resulted from joint consultation 10 years ago among the education boards as employing authorities,' the Educational Institute representing all primary teachers, and the Education Department. “The interests of all these parties are safeguarded by the central advisory committee, on which there are two teacher representatives. In addition, a teacher representative is one of the three statutory members of the ' appointments committee in each board’s district.

“The interests of country teachers are further protected because, when the appointments committee is considering the claims of two or more applicants whose general assessments are the same, certain stated priorities may be applied. The first two of these are total length of certified service and total length of country service, with consideration of degree of remoteness.

"The present scheme of appointment makes specific provisions for teachers who have served for two years in very remote country schools to be able to move on transfer to positions which are more desirably situated. “All teachers who have been for three years in Scale

II salary country positions enjoy full protection of their salaries should they be appointed as Scale I assistants in city schools—positions which they would usually have no difficulty in winning. “All conditions regarding appointments and promotion are clearly laid down in a handbook which was issued to teachers in 1963. If Mr Williams is uncertain about any of these provisions I hope he will not hesitate to inquire from me.”