TEACHERS

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 41, 16 February 1918, Page 7

TEACHERS

QUESTION OF EXCHANGES

It has long been contended that in the interest, of the co-ordination of the different parts of our education system —primary, secondary, and technical, and in order, as far as possible, to bridge the gaps between them, as well as in the interests of theiteachers themselves, it is desirable (that there 6hould be a fr.ee exchange of teachers between the primary and high, schools. If teachers in the high schools had experience in primary schools so as to gain a. knowledge of the methods of instruction and of the standard ' of. attainment, less would be heard of the break between the two sets of schools, and pupils passing from p}\& ■ school to the other would find themselves at less disadvantage,' and' there would be less loss of time in- commencing their work in the new atmosphere of the high schools. Similarly, if ppiiae of the teachers iri primary schools had served for some time in secondary teaching, they would have a knowledge of tlio preparation necessary for secondary work and of the difficulties due to the shortcomings of the instruction given in primary schools, and could provide appropriate remedies. CONSIDERATION BY COUNCIL: OF EDUCATION. "' The Council of Education „ had this matter under discussion yesterday, but under. present circumstances the rem,edy proposed by one member, yjz., that tho appointment pf teachers of primary, technical, and secondary schools should be made by the same body, was not considered a satisfactory' solution of the difficulty, and was not accepted by the council.' It was felt to be inexpedient'to give the appointment of teachers to one authority and the control pf' the schools, the fixing of salaries, and the^ drawingup of duties to another. It .wis pointed out that a scheme would be unworkableunder which the responsibility of. appointment of teachers did not rest wjth the board, which paid and controlled those teachers. A remedy for the existing conditions is difficult to find, but a suggestion made by one member is worthy of serious'consideration^ This involved the' abolition of Education, Secondary School • and Technical School Boards in their present form, and the placing the local control of all forms of education, except university, in each district under one authority, and that authority should be closely associated' with the City and County Councils, or some lqeal body having rating powers over large areas. If this was done, not only could the appointment of teachers tp all types of schools bo centred in one body, but the. same body could control the schools in such a way as, by deciding the course of study in each, to remove much of the present overlapping, and could also be ma.de responsible for the maintenance of buildings^ partly out of local rates and partly out of Government subsidies, thus rprnoying one of- the greatest difficulties of 'de'alipg "with applications' for'grants for buildings arid of geitjng' local toarcls to exercise"'proper care of their buildings. If half the cost of buildings were met out j

of local rates the cost would be small, and the -total amount paid in rates and taxes by any individual would not be 'much greater than at present f' but if any locality was anxious to improve and add to its schools, it would- not need to go cap in hand to the Government for the money, and each district would see that it got good value for its money, not only in buildings, but in other matters aswvell, e.g., if the advantages of the conveyance of children to large, well-taught, consolidated schools over the present system of maintaining many small, inefficient schools, were demonstrated, the people who pay for the buildings and conveyance would not be slow in adopting the better system. The whole subject was, however, felt to be too important and involved too drastic changes for the council to deal with at the present meeting, probably the last of the present council, and consideration was therefore held over.