‘Gun being held at Minister’s head’

Press, 23 February 1980, Page 6

‘Gun being held at Minister’s head’

Pornan Catholic schools were holding a gun at the head of the Minister of Education (Mr Wellington) the Canterbury Education Board was told yesterday. Mrs N. J. Johnson said State schools might miss getting funds because private schools, and Roman Catholic schools in particular, were demanding additional State aid. Mrs Johnson referred to an article in the “Tablet” of February 6. It questioned whether action such as closing Roman Catholic schools might be needed to show the Government that _ Roman Catholics were entitled to free State education. “This sort of thing really frightens me,” said Mrs Johnson. The Government had just given Roman Catholic schools $2 million and they were still wanted more. But more funds should also be released to State schools. “I am not against integration, I am for State schools,” said-Mrs Johnson, after the meeting. “I do not want State schools to be the Cinderellas of the system, and the way things are going that could happen,” she said. In the integration agreement, private schools had to meet a certain level. However, manv State schools did not meet the standards, either, but the board had to fight for money to bring them up to standard, she said. . Mrs Johnson said she was ' concerned because the Gov-

eminent gave in to pressure from the Roman Catholic schools for additional funds, while State schools were also feeling the pinch. State school building programmes had been reduced. School radio broadcasts had been cut, and there were fewer teachers available to act as advisers, said Mrs Johnson. . The board’s inspectors had ibeen reduced from 15 to 11 but they were’ required to do the same amount of work, she said. “A lot of people are very unsettled.” Mrs Johnson moved that the board write a second letter to the Minister of Education (he did not reply to an earlier letter). However, the motion failed when put to the vote. * The board was told that Mr Wellington had approved 75 supernumerary positions for teachers in Christchurch. They ,■ have been approved for the first term to provide positions for teachers who could not leave Christchurdh to find work. The teachers were to be used to fill any vacancies or to help children in reading, mathematics, and other basic subjects, said the acting disI trict senior inspector (Mr R. M. Brooke). The teachers could be taken on permanently if a position became vacant while they were at the school, said Mr Brooke. Thirty-eight teachers had qualified for the positions so far. .. Mr R. F. Armstrong said it was unfortunate that the

decision had come so late. He knew of a number of -teachers who had gone into other occupations, which could mean a teacher-short-age in the third term. Mr Brooke told the board that the regulation under which the supernumerary positions were made available was different this year. In recent years, some staff released from • teaching duties by the supernumeraries were used by tne board as advisers. Last year about 12 teachers had worked as advisers, but this would not happen this year, he said. ~ Mr M. C. Butler told the board that' he was concerned about the under-staffing in some primary schools. He had seen an example where there were 40 children in one class. The official staff ratio allowed only 35 children to a class, said Mr Brooke. However, the board knew that classes had 36 or 37 children for part of the year to allow for suitable internal organisation.

Mr Brooke said he would look into the case. Mr Butler said after the meeting that- he was angry because under-staffing was not necessary. "We could lower the rate of children to teachers, even to have one teacher to 30 children. We have the teachers, the rooms, and the accommodation,” he said.

Under-staffing came from the fact that Mr Wellington was keeping a tight hold on staff numbers, he said.