SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 122, 24 May 1920, Page 2

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

THE ASSISTANTS' CONFERENC3 FURTHER REMITS DEALT WITH Tho annual conference 01 the Secondary Schools Assistants' Association was continued 1 on Saturday afternoon and evening. The consideration of remits from various'centres vraa continued. Miss N. E. Coad moved : "That, in the event of further increases of salary being given to secondary teachers, it would not be jn 1 the ' interests of , secondary schools to increase further . the discrepancies already . existing m the salaries of men and women teachers, and that therefore the increase should be a flat va|e." The remit gave rise to another discussion upon, the question of equal pay for equal work. It was pointed out that women teachers would receive tho same consideration .as men when their grading was being" conaider- . Ed, though their salaries might not be the same. The remit was rejected. DEPARTMENTAL CONTROL. In moving "That no appointment- be made or terminated by any .board without the. sanction of the Department. Nothing in this cfc'.uoe .shall defeat the right of appeal under the Act," Mr. P. M. Reinier said tiiat ha did so with a view of "placing a broke upon Boards of Governors," but he did not cast any reflections whatever upon the boards. ilr. R. M. Laing (Christchurch) opposed the remit, for, he held, while ■centralisation might be advantageous, in some respects, the.local bodies must be allowed to retain their power in the ruatter of appointments and local government, otherwise local interest would be lost. Several* other delegates spoke against the proposal, expressing the opinion that the Board of Appeal gave ample^ protection to the teachers. The Chairman (Mr. .1. Brummond) said that he believed the proposal would 1r«c1 to a, central promotion board <~t Wellington, and such a board he personally did not favour, at any rate at tlia present time. . It was pointed out that, following 1, the. institution of a Dominion grading scheme, the Education Department would necessarily have control oi the appointment and transfer of teachers, as it v,';is the only body in contact with more than one school. It was advisable that provision should be made for the grading of principals, and probably there would then bo four divisions in 1 tho grading scheme. It was a very difficult matter for a competent assistant to obtain a position in another school, simply because the school authorities did not know thci assistant, and that v;a3 pno great reason why there should be a central board. It might so happen that »n undue number of first-class teachers would be gathered at one school; that was good for tho school, but.bad for the system, for each tsacher should be' placed in a- position commensurate with his particular ability. All • jlositions were not advertised,, and, «yen so, an outside and thoroughly competent teacher might ba passed over, iis he was unknown by the local board. A central board . would' be. acquainted with all teachers. The remit v:as lost by a. wide margin. Other remits bearing upon the appointment and dismissal oi. teachers in secondary schools 'and approved by the. delegates were :— . "That in future, no teacher be appointed to a position in ;i secondary school unless he or she is a graduate or has » secondary school teachers' certificate —such certificate to bo at least up to the standard of the New Zealand B.A. degree." £Ui\ A. C. GiiTord, Wellington.) "That in view- of the increasing tendency of governing bodies to fill vacancies by promoting members of' their own -staffs, all positions of J32CO per annum and over he fully advertised throughout the Dominion, copies to be sent to all governing bodies." (Miss Sheai'd, Christchurch.) "That, in order to place .secondary school teachers on a, similar footing to that of primary teachers and members oi tho Public Service, in all* caws where a. secondary school teacher is appointed to a position of higher salary than that vacated, reasonable transfer expenses should be paid by the Education De-'pa-rtment if the transfer is approved by the Department.' 1 (Mr. Bigger, Wellington.) The following remit, brought forward by Mitts Sheard, was lost :—''That the Education Act be further amended to. ■make provision for tho increase in salary and for the superannuation, of parttime teachers." SUPERANNUATION. Questions of superannuation were discussed, ar.d the following remits carried :— "That deductions from retiring allowl nnces bo no longer-made." (Mr. R. H. Jiockel (New. Plymouth). "That, in view of a recent regulation by thu Education Department to the effect that governing bodies may reduce salaries of teachers in return for board and lodging; the Minister be asked to introduce legislation enabling teachers concerned to claim superannuation on the unreduced salary." (Mr. 0. H. 1 "Broad. Nelson). [ "That the, association urge the increase of the allowance to be paid the wido'.vs of teachers who are contributors io the Superannuation I''rmd. and that provision be marie for ;t retiring contribution In allocate a certain fraction of his pension to his wife."—(Mr. R. M. Li'ing, Christchurch). Three remits bearing upon the counting of years of pupil tencliersliip and studentship and of feachiir* in private fcc'ionls in the matter of superannuation were also pa^ssd. • GENERAL., It was resolved that the attention of the Vniver.-.ity Senate should be drawn to the character of the paper? eel on the I December examinations, 1219, particularly the French papers. Tho' delegates supported a remit urging that tin. Education Department i-hvulil be a?ked to add a clause to thu' existing regulations to enable btmtf fide secondary teachers to obtain educational bursaries. The incoming executive is to report at the n";,;t meeting upon questions in regard to the re-casting of the constitution cf the arac.eiation. ELKCTION OF OFFICERS. The election of officers for 192.0 resulted as -follows :—-President (re-elected), Mr. J. Drurnmond, M.A. (Auckland); vice-president. Miss E. Coad, M.A. (Wellington) ; secretary and treasurer, Mr. i \<. Martyn Jtenner, 5:1.A. (Wellington); ■lion, auditor, Mr. W. A. Alexander. M.A., U.B. (Wellington); executive, Mr. A. C. Gifford. M.A. (Wellington), Mr. F. H. Campbell. M.A. (Dunedin), Mr. H. Robson, M.A. (Marlborough), Mr. E.. M. Laing, M.A... B.Sc. (Christchurch). •An honorarium of 15 guineas was. unanimously voted to the hon. secretary, Mr. F. Ma-rtyn Renner, for his services. Votes of thanks were passed to Mr. and Mrs. Firth for the. use of the meeting room find f;>r afternoon tea. The outgoing officers and the press were also thanked.