SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 56, 30 November 1923, Page 11

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

NEW REGULATIONS COLLEGE BOARD SUPPORTS TEACHERS’ PROTEST Objection was taken by the principals of the Boys’ and Girls’ Colleges, in reports to the Board of Governors yesterday, to tho Education Department’s new regulations regarding holidays and a rearrangement of the term time-table. The Wellington College branch of the Secondary Schools’ Assistants’ Association contended that the Department was “now assuming, to the detriment of the teachers in the board’s employment, functions IforinerLv exorcised by the boards.” In the opinion of Mr. T. R. Cresswell (principal of the Boys’ College), “the most serious objection to the Department’s proposal is the assuming of what I think ought to be the board’s function (under general direction of the Department). 'Die Department ignores—(l) Local conditions, which may be important, and (2) the special conditions attached to hostels. By lengthening the school year and making it necessary to extend the period during which pupils are in residence by two or perhaps three weeks, it increases working expenses of hostels (many of whies ,>re already run on an almost negligible margin of profit), and males it obviously necessary in some’ cases to increase the boarding fee. On this aspect of the question it appears to me that boards should have been consulted.”

Miss McLean, principal of the Girls’ College, objected' on the ground that there would be an extra strain on teachers and girls. There were, she said, already too many cases of nervous breakdown among teachers in New Zealand. The Department did not recognise that the staff of a school worked more days than the actual half school days shown in the registers. Dissatisfaction w’ould bo felt throughout tho service if more work was required for less pay. ‘TBy tho new arrangement the third term ends as late as December 19,” she continued. “Matriculation and university scholarship examinations all end at latest on the Thursday of the previous week (this year on December 13). Tho days after this are of little value from n teaching point of view. . . . Jt would be preferable it shorten the May or September holidays, and end the third term as now, on the Friday following the matriculation examination. The days of the last term before matriculation are more valuable than days after these examinations.” Tho new regulations referred to provide for 39 weeks, or 385 half days, of teaching. A letter is to be sent by the College Board to the Department intimating its complete agreement with the objections raised by the board’s teachers.