TEACHERS PERTURBED

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 253, 20 July 1920, Page 6

TEACHERS PERTURBED

A SPLIT IN THE RANKS

IEPARATE BODY FORMED AT AUCKLAND

At last night's meeting of the . Wellington branch of the Educational Institute it was officially reported that tho Auckland teachers had formed a separateassociation for the purpose of voicing iheir grievances.

The chairman (Mr. C. N. Hnslam) said that the reason for this stand on the part of the Auckland teachers was their contention that the institute was not voicing their needs in a satisfactory manner. Auckland's action was to bo regretted, especially in view of tho pioneer work done by tho institute on behalf of the whole of the teachers of the Dominion.

On behalf of the Management Committee, Mr. W. 11. Foster submitted «i molion "viewing with the deepest regret tho action of the Auckland teachers in establishing an association apart from tho institute for the express purpose of voicing tho needs- and grievances ot Auckland teachers separately from tho needs and grievances of the teachers of the Dominion as a whole. Further, tli.it the result of such a parochial view of educational affaire can end only in the disruption of the institute which (stands for equal rights for all and special privileges for none. Further, that this meeting approves of tho action of the Department in directing that there should be a re-grading of certain Auckland teachers so that they should not have an unfair advantage over other teachers of tho Dominion."

Mr. Foster stated that ho understood • that the Auckland teachers did not pinpose to wnse to he members of tho institute, but, nevertheless, they were forming a "side-show," through which they purposed airing their own particular* grievances. There was not, as far as he could see, much room for dissatisfaction on Auckland's part. Apparently it arose on the score of grading. In this connection Mr. Foster quoted comparative tables to show that the northern teachers had not grievances sufficiently large to entitle them to disrupt the institute at the present time. The secession of Auckland wns all tho more to bo deplored, seeing that in the past their Tcnresentntives on the institute had done valuable servico on behalf of the profession. Mr. 0. A. .Tones thought that in place of adopting the resolution, a better way would be to back up tho Department in its attitude and assure tho Minister that he had, outside of Auckland, the whol« of the teachers of the Dominion behind him in "the Department's action Tektive to the grading scheme. Mr. B. T. Black explained that th< trouble nrose originolly out of the fact that in tho past the Auckland teacher*" had been graded higher than the rest of the teachers of the Dominion. The Department set out to rectify the anomalies tliat existed, and in doing 1 so the Auckland teachers considered that it had overstepped the mark. Tho Auckland teachers also held that the methods adopted by the institute in presenting the various claims of the profession wore far too slow.

The motion was adopted without dissent.