WOMEN TEACHERS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 229, 22 June 1920, Page 4

WOMEN TEACHERS

CLAIMS TO CONSIDERATION DEPUTATION TO MINISTER The claims of -women teachers to better consideration in the staffing ofschools wore advanced by a deputation from the Women Teachers' Association which waited on the Minister of Education (J[r. Parr) yesterday. Miss N. E. Coad, president of tho association, was tho first speaker. Tho first request made by her was that an.opportunity should bo given to a woman teacher to control the girls in tho upper classes of tho primary schools—that a senior mistress for the upper school should) always bo on the staff of largo schools, with rank and salary equal to that of tho infant mistress. At present the only high position open to women was that of infant mistress. It was urged that as all women were not suited for this work, there ought to be positions of equal rank and pay open to them in the upper school. She understood that the plea of headmasters was that schools could not be organised in such a. way as to provide for what was being asked in this respect. If this wero so in fact, then Bhe urged that the women teachers would have a good ease for separate schools for girls and boys. It was the opinion of the association that girls from 12 to 18 years of ago ought to bo taught by women. Another request wns that tho Government should introduce legislation to regulate the employment of school children out of school hours at such work as selling papers and delivering milk. Generally as to salaries she asked for consideration for women teachers. Much was said of Iho need for attracting men to the iprofession, but the profession had need also of women, and it was a fact that the best girls were not now entering the teaching profession. Miss Finlayson and Miss Edwards both urged tho need for more generous staffing and more efficient teaching in the fnfant department of schools. It was pointed out that the work of this most important branch of every school was chiefly done by quite unskilled teachers, under tlio care nnd direction 'of the headmistress. Miss Finlayson expressed the opinion that the cause of tho slow progress of some children through school was undue time taken in the infant department owing to inefficient teaching. The reciuest was that the same scale of staffing and salaries should be allowed to infant departments in large schools as were allowed *o separate infant schools.

The Minister, in reply, said that he fully agreed with most of the representations made. to him. He thought tho first plea for the appointment of a senioi'_ mistress to take charge of the girls in tho upper, classes was <i perfectly reasonable one. He would consult with tho Department as to whether this could bo done. With' regard to tho teaching of sex hygiene, also referred to by tho deputation, he was quito in accord with them that it would bo unwise to have this matter taught in the schools by outsiders, or even by teachers themselves. Ho approved of the suggestion that the Department might provide for instruction by sending pamphlets fo the parents. The subject could be taught effectively only in tho home. As to the suggestion for the regulation of hours of work of children of tender yeaTs, it would be sufficient for him to say that h»'was asking the Govto introduce some legislation this session dealing with this matter He recognised that the employment of children might bo due to economic necessity on the part of the parent, hut this economic necessity must be provided for in some other way. Tho children must not bo exploited. He hoped to be'able to get the law amended, _ Tho amendment might not be drastic, but he hoped it would be sufficient to stop evils of child labour.

~ Mr. Parr said that the suggestion as to the better staffing of the infant departments of big schools' seemed to him quite fair. He could see no logical reason for a difference between the staffing provided for a separate infant school. ,iiid the staff tor an equal number of children in the infant department of a big school.