THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 185, 30 April 1908, Page 7

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

I MR. HOGBEN INTERVIEWED. . . ' (BY IELKQKArU—PREBS ASSOOIATioN.) Auckland, April 29. Interviewed, this afternoon, Mr. G. Hogben, Inspector-General of Schools, who-is at 1 present in Auckland, was asked to give an opinion as to the statements;! recently'.mado by tho! Chairman. of the -City Schools' Committee regarding the paucity of male'teachers' ,entering the profession. In rc-ply, he stated that this state' of affairs;, was not- peculiar to New Zealand. • ~, _, . , . . "In New York, for' instance,"' lie said, "thero arb 1250 female teachers to,eyery. 100. malo teachers, and in England" the'proportion of female. teachers is higher • than in New Zealand. Ido riot tliinlc that there is "any danger'to bo feared-from the'preponderance of females. It must be remembered that women teachers go into profession' in >;at' least two cases out 'of'!thre6"6nly ! for 'a'- comparative short term of years,', whereas 'men .with few exceptions enter, it as a life profession, so that unless .the.supply.'of womjen were nearly three times as great at' the,'lie'ginning thero would not even bo "equality of numbers. : ~ ■

"111 'no other, country that havo, visited or am acquainted with," lib ' continued^"do students get treated so w?ll in their training, as regards money payments as they . do in iNew Zealand. I:do! ,not. think ;that'the effect of having wonieri ■ teachers in New Zealand iiro so serious as •joins'.'people imagine. They talk of deterioration in'boys, and say that .they arc not so■''-virile.""'-1 tliink i should , prefer to see - elder boys taught by men, but on the other hand I should lileo elder girls to'be taught by wo 1 men. However, you cannot always secure that that shall be. tho case.- "Where that principle is not carried out it becomes nccossary to trust, to.;other;'.^influences/ such ~ as. homo and the. circumstances -of life to keep up truo virility or 'femininity as.the case .may bo." • '!

• Mr. Hogben admitted that it 'was generally recognised that tho schools'must bo. staffed 'better, but better staffs. and better payment of teachers would cost 1 mbheyl"' ' i Discussing the now . regulations recently gazetted, the Inspector-General, expressed l the opinion that- the one, providing .for, thp fixture, of "tho school year term in December' ought to make'transition from' 'the'primary to.tho. secondary schools technical schools very easy. Again/the regulations for junior and senior freo places, it was hoped, would give greater ease in. working, and make it possible for a child holding a free place to receive- preparation for any oath in" life, as considerable choice of subjects was given so long as the course taken was really 0. ; secondary or higher ono: ' SALARIES OF INSPECTORS. . : A matter affecting tho salaries of school inspectors arose at th'o-mcctinn'of the Education Board to-day,..-.when the chairman (Mr. L. J. Bagnall)';moved: "That the salaries of Inspectors I ,\Cr6we :-aud Grierson be increased from £4Qo.^to.* : £42n a year." Mr. Parr moved'as an amendment: "That, the' salarios of all' the' inspectors, be- in-, creased by £25." Tho■;Auclcln l iid-Board, he stated, was paying its inspectors less than' was paid in Olngo, Canterbury, and other districts, although the cost of living was quite as high here as" there.' ' 'The chairman thought the travelling allowances were less.in tho south.than at Auckland. If tho'y made the salaries equal to those in tho south, they would have -a lai'ce number of applications, from the,, south for the Auckland positions. Tho .chairman's motion was carried.