Rise For Country Teachers Opposed

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31097, 28 June 1966, Page 1

Rise For Country Teachers Opposed

(Kew Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 27. The Director of Primary Education (Mr B. M. Pinder) today asked the Government Service Tribunal to disallow an application by the New Zealand Educational Institute for an increase in the salaries of head teachers of small primary schools.

The institute is seeking a higher maximum salary for experienced head teachers in grade IV schools with rolls of 71-190 pupils.

It wants the present maximum raised in two steps from £1455 to £1505 in the first year and £1560 in the second. Mr Pinder, for the DirectorGeneral of Education (Dr. K. Sheen) said the cost of implementing the institute’s proposals would be £16,800 for a sub-division in the first year and £41,600 for two subdivisions in the second year. Mr Pinder felt the application unjustified because There had been a revaluation of teachers’ salaries in 1964; A disturbance of present relativities, with implications for primary and secondary teachers, would be inevitable:

Not all head teachers In grade IV, receiving a scale 111 salary, had a greater degree of responsibility than other teachers on the same salary scale; Some degree of difference in the responsibility carried by teachers in the same salary scale was a feature of all existing salary scales. "The arguments put forward in my submission apply with equal force to an increase of only one step,” Mr Pinder said. “Approval of a one-step Increase would have the same repercussions as approval of a two-step increase.

“For these reasons, I also strongly urge the tribunal not to reach a compromise decision by the granting of a onestep increase." Mr J. P. Delahunty, for the institute, said the grade IV head teacher, with his classroom, school, and community responsibilities, and with less experienced assistants to support him, had a role which justified a more favourable position in the salary scale. Mr Delahunty said there were 499 grade IV schools in iNew Zealand in September, [1964. The maximum salary was £1455 (for a head with the lowest academic qualification), compared with £1760 maximum for a grade V school head (191 to 350 pupils). The hearing will continue tomorrow.