APPOINTMENT OF TEACHERS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 431, 13 February 1909, Page 7

APPOINTMENT OF TEACHERS.

; . : of your columns,-; te'congratulate the teaching.;.prof essibn : upon/the' ': fact/that/oneof its members; has written a :]etferi;toKtho ; - ■press ?v 'the. present-it'.has :h6.tjbeen considered:' orthodox;;■■ for; '■■ a■, ■. teacher ■: to'.' ei-press-an ■ opinion'; a meeting'of: the Teachers! : lnstituW- ; -a-''l)ody,' : .- by: the'/.by,' .whose'leading spirits are"men/who.already■ hold ,aU 'the opiums -of''tho; profession;- and who, therefore, are not'much : concerned about' 'tho promoliion,. ,; of',:teabhers,' : inV.the: .lower -ranks.- I; mkht'mefttion;that : :.whenithe; last 'Education, BiU 'before the House; , !-wrote . a letter to;.the'; s'Evening ''Post": pointing; out" the. mistake'the Minister Trould'inako if 'he* did notj stick; to His; guns .and;.delete', the claiis'eV requiring vthe, concurrence .of , Bchopl committees in. appointments, but" at the .time no. other:'teacher thought.4he/ matter' was/ worthia : second letter. avletterhas at.■last,;appeated 1 J aßdjmy.hopesV.Qr^''beginning to : revived '•■■■ ;/.//■■ ; v: /;; .'/''//K: , ' ~.// '■: : '.il -rea'lly .believeAthat "teachers;:have"no'one' to.'blame-for{theifvgriei'ances~:exceptr them-, selves;.?. -When? the- Minister/ drowv up the Education Bill.hemade:an: honest. aiitempi/ : to :remedy/two /evils: ■ the /ifiadequate: salaries '.that;_ were/paid; '■■. to; some- •teachers; , - : and'; the' erratic ihanrier ,: in ; which promotions : 'were i mdde;'.V.To"'riM^;\the'firsV _ He('agkod;..for ; ;a , ', substantial increase in:.the.'educ'atiiqn'.'grant," and;to ".remedy-.:; the: second.'.he're-graded 'the', ■schools, .commencing_atj:Grade.l and going, up ;tp> of - a ; schoor ■in any;particular , grade was, to.'commence at a "oertain. minimum, .salary,: and ; . to', receive yearly increments' , until he .■reached, a cer- ; tain maximum salary.; If his three or!four ; years' .service.in ; this^:grade":was;considered, efficient, he , was : then.-to pass-to; the. grade above, which promotipn wouldentitle him to a .salary/slightly-in excess of ;the.maximum, salary for :the'.grade below. :;, The .'transfer thus ;made'wpuldy create opportunity,for /other promotions.,: .It is unnecessary to.explain;the scheme, further; The Minister , :had' evidently thought the whole! thing but,, most;''carefully..' He foresaw ,th'at" the: interferehc*O' : of. school committees,:might ; upset.,the" working of the .whole scheme,, and .he"therefore proEosed'te clause, in the Education -Act re.quiring ; that :school 'committees ; should be consulted ■■;. about appointments'; '.The 6chool committees immediately objected. Ko teacher exoept myself; thought' the . matter worth troubling' about.- What : .result"could be.expected?;.; ;■ v>;:;,; ■.■•.•,■ : ;, ; : "i;;,; : ;;';; ; v;" : ■ Now, eir,; I honestly desire that' the whole matter may be.discussed, as :it should-be between' men who." have the; interests .of ,-our; education , ;system:,at ;heart,'', and .I. cularly desire,to avoid saying anything of on acrimonious nature.- I say. that- tho scheme as originally,devised by'the Minister, was an excellent ono, but he: has, ■ perhaps;.: mado a mistake, in; not: explaining; to '■ the .various education boards how he'intended it; to work. Tho. Wellingtbh Education-Board.is quite in the'-dark..- -Two.'schools have lately, beon'advertised which were expected shortly! to be classed:' Grade VII B.: Several teachers whoso.positions-were 'already classed as Grade yil A. applied for the appointments, and I think the board should have'made its selec-. tion-from. these teachers.. 'Instead ;of! this, teachers .were selected from:-lower grades— from;:Grado IV, - for example. -Moreover,; those .selected hold; "D". certificates,'-while; those rejected hold "B" and, "C , ' certificates, and...are, iii. addition, university graduates. Of; course, if these. Grade! VII teachers are all incompetent men the position is' at once explained. But is the -board. prepared to say that.this is the case? ;;■.'..; ;.;' ' ; , \ ' .

, I would point out that when such Bcleo-' tions aro raado an injustico is dono not only to tho Grade VII teacher, but to a number of teachers below Grado VII, who, if ffio appointment were :nado us the Minister 'intended, would each movo up one grado. ■\Vlion a teacher is mover! up tVom Grade IV and placed in front of a Grade VTI teacher a blockago at once occurs, and if the board docs' much .of this kind of thing tho mass of teachers is. thfl lower grades have little

cbanco of improving their position. I might mention other injustices in connection with tho superannuation allowance of Bomo of the older teachers, but my letter is already rather long for publication. Tho prominence, however, which you havo always given to educational matters encourages me to hope that you will find room for what I have written. Hoping to seo teachers awake from their deadly apathy, and, like othor workers, show their interest in questions that vitally affect their own welfare. —I am, etc., , QUI ETIAM NUNC SPEM ALIT.