BOARDS’ ROLE

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33034, 29 September 1972, Page 10

BOARDS’ ROLE

“Strong stand*’ urged

A strong stand should be taken against threats to the Independence of Education Boards, the general manager of the Canterbury Education Board (Mr D. Wilson) told the annual conference of the Education Boards’ Association! in Christchurch yesterday.

Mr Wilson was commenting on moves being made by{ some teachers’ college councils in New Zealand to take over the recruitment. selec-| tktn. and notification of candi-i dates for entry to teachers colleges—a role at present! performed by Education Boards, which once had direct • control over the teachers’! inc Education Boards were< the employing authority, Mr; Wilson said, and it should! continue to be their respon-j sibility to carry out recruitment and selection pro-

Unless boards took a strong stand, the attempts being made in Auckland and Christchurch by the teachers’ college councils to take over the matter would “snowball.” Mr M T. Dears ley (Wanganui) said it would be better for boards to adopt a less negative attitude and call for a problem with the Department of Education and the! Teachers’ College Councils. Mr D. H. P. Smith (Nelson): If we don’t take a strong stand, we are going to walk head first into trouble. Are we going to stand by and! watch our privileges being! further eroded? The association finally de-! cided, by six votes to four, I on a motion calling for all! boards to discuss the recruitment and selection of! teachers’ college candidates! and refer the results of suchj discussions to the associa-

“What we want is the best system of recruitment and selection of teacher trainees,” said Mr T. A Bullock (Wellington). !