Staff relief

Press, 27 November 1982, Page 14

Staff relief

Sir,—l have heard through the grapevine that teaching relief for secondary school staff involved in outdoor education is being axed by the .Department of Education. If this is so, could the department explain the rationale behind such an obviously backward step? They seem unprepared to fight for anything positive and ongoing. After all, the administration in Wellington is transient, education is not. — Yours, etc., G. A. S. THOMAS. November 16, 1982. [Mr W. L. Matson, for the Director-General of Education, replies: “There has been no change in the conditions on which the appointment of relieving teachers may be made when teaching staff are required for approved outdoor education programmes. District senior inspectors of schools may approve the employment of relieving teachers to assist in the safe conduct of outdoor education activities or to replace absent staff where an unreasonable load would be placed on those teachers remaining at the school. These conditions have applied without change from 1973 when the outdoor education programmes were officially recognised.”]