THE RETARDATES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 48, 20 November 1928, Page 13

THE RETARDATES

SCHOOL COMMITTEES STATE THEIR CASE “MUST BE FIRM WITH NEW EDUCATION MINISTER” STAFFING OF SCHOOLS “When a deputation from the School Committees’ Association and Headmasters’ Association waited on the Minister of Education a year ago they were given promises of favourable consideration in the matter of the appointment of substitute assistant teachers and retardation, but that sympathy has not found practical expression, and retardation is getting worse. The Department is dodging the whole issue by altering the method of giving statistics.” These remarks were made last night by Mr. L. Hennessey, chairman, at the meeting of the Wellington School Committees’ Association, in addressing the members on the subject. The Minister’s report gave tables referring to the ages of children and standard of education, he said. Under the old table it was shown that 35 per cent, of the children had made below the normal line of progress, but in the new table, made up at June 30 instead of at the end of the year, the figure was reduced to 22 per cent. Where are the Facts? “To my mind you are not going to criticise them on the facts because they are not going to give you the facts,” continued the chairman. Those figures had not been produced as a result of giving teachers back in place of substitute assistants, but by juggling; a little penwork in the office. The Department had made no real effort to meet the crying needs of education, and was trying to blur the whole position by declining to give the necessary information. Those were the sort of things the Department was trying to "shove down the throats of the public of the Dominion.” An emphatic protest should be made in the matter. Mr. A. McKenzie said he was prepared to give the names oyer a period of years of members of his staff who had left to receive promotion in other schools, and had been followed by probationer or substitute assistant teachers. Strong representations should be made for the whole matter to be investigated. The position was unsatisfactory from the point of view of the child. Quite a number of children left school when 14 years of age, and when only in the third standard, but many would have made better progress had they had the benefit of teachers of experience. A Statement Challenged. Mr. D. Bedingfleld, chairman of the Headmasters’ Association, agreed with the chairman, and said it was a dishonest thing to put the clock back six months, and it had altered the complexion of the whole thing. Retaidation was worrying masters very considerably, for they felt that more might be done for retardate children under better working conditions. It seemed to him that conditions were being created which would accentuate retardation. Where there were retardate children, teachers should have some knowledge of them, for such children were unable to digest the education offered to them. They required intelligent teaching, and the teacher was unable to do it. In some schools there might be special classes —and smaller of these particular children, and they should be specially looked after. Headmasters realised their duty to the children, but did not receive the backing up to enable them to do it. There was a deplorable lack of co-operation in administration of education. He was moved to protest against the statement of the Minister that extra teachers were being supplied to all schools where their services could be used to advantage. He wrote to the Education Board asking for an extra teacher in order to reduce the size of the classes. He had the room available. The board sent the letter on to the Department, which replied that it could not see its way to place an extra teacher in his school, as there were other schools where the need was much greater. Firmness with New Minister. While agreeing that substitute teachers had been put into some schools in place of permanent teachers, it had yet to be proved that that was a permanent policy, said Mr. H. F. Penlington (Island Bay). "There are many causes of retardation, but we can’t discuss them here,” continued Mr. Penlington. "I would suggest that a deputation of five members from the school committees and five from the Headmasters’ Association should wait upon the Minister of Education and place these matters before him. We are all agreed that the schools are understaffed, and the needs of the children suffer because of understaffing. Further accommodation is needed in many schools in order to accommodate the extra staffing required, and, if we pry this matter plainly, emphatically anX firmly before the new Minister of Education, then we may get something.” Mr. F. L. Combs (Mount Cook) urged that representations should be made to the department for additional teachers, and they should contest the statement that the matter must wait until the schools were built.

Mr. J. B. Hopkirk emphasised the point that if they were given extra teachers it would affect the speed of the children going through the school. The chairman : There are two classes of retardates, those who are below normal and departraentally manufactured retardates, children who have not had a fair chance of keeping up to the mark because the teachers have not had a chance of giving them the attention they require. It was suggested that a sub-commit-tee be appointed, three each from the School Committees’ Association, the Headmasters’ Association and the Wellington branch of the Educational Institute, to discuss the matter and prepare a statement for submission to the Minister, and a resolution to this effect was carried.