AUSTRALIAN WAYS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 22, 27 January 1931, Page 10

AUSTRALIAN WAYS

TEACHING PROFESSION

CONFERENCE AT ADELAIDE

The Federated Stats Schools' Teachers' Association of Australia recently held a conference at Adelaide, which Miss M. Magill, of Wellington, attended as a delegate from the New Zealand Federation of Teachers. The New Zealand Federation came into being last May, and comprises the N.Z.E.1., the Secondary Schools Association, and the Technical Schools Association, and as its representative Miss MagOl was particularly interested in seeing how the Australian Federation worked. "The Australian teachers laid much emphasis on industrial awards," said Miss Magill when speaking to a "Post" reporter to-day. "Public education is excluded from the Constitution as an activity for Federal control. The control of education is vested in the State Governments, and all Teachers' State Unions have industrial awards. The Australian Federation of Teachers is seeking Federal Arbitration, with its .concomitant standardisation of certificates and conditions, but it has not yet succeeded in obtaining this. The lack of a national system of education such as ours in New Zealand means that conditions Df education differ in each State, and such things as interchange of teachers, etc., are very difficult to arrange. The question of standardisation was considered by. the conference to be so important that a special conference of teachers from all States is to bo hold in Sydney in May to see if some Federal agreement cannot be reached. New Zealand is to supply information relevant to the subject." APPRENTICESHIP QUESTION. Apprenticeship and unemployment was another subject which was thoroughly discussed, continued Miss Magill, and the suggestion was made, by the conference that an extension of the rudiments of commercial education (elementary bookkeeping, banking etc.) and. an introduction to economics might be arranged for, as it was felt that it was just as necessary to provide for a youth who was to be a clerk as for one who was going to be a plumber. It was also suggested that wherever, in any of the States, existing conditions of apprenticeship .. were a restriction upon giving effect to these proposals, the question should be considered as to what extent such apprenticeship regulations might be suspended and/or amended. . , Miss Magill said that when the booklet "Individual Education" was produced at the conference as thto first fruits of the recently inaugurated Australian Institute of Educational Research she was able to show the delegates "The Maori and Education, or the Education of Natives in New Zealand and its Dependencies," which was issued here by the Besearch Committee of the New Zealand Teachers' Summer School. ' Much interest^ was taken in this publication, and it is to be ordered for many : of the libraries of teachers' organisations. TEACHERS' RECIPROCITY. "At present there is no reciprocity between Australian and New Zealand teachers,"'said Miss Magill, "althougENew Zealand has reciprocity with London and Canada, and this matter was discussed at the conference, hopes being expressed that before long reciprocity would be possible between Australia and the Dominion." The Australian. States have centralisation of control, and Miss Magill found that undfcr this system the- administration cost per child is about 5s cheaper than in New Zealand, where the present cost is 9s 2d under existing conditions of duplication of control by Department and boards.. However, she remarked that under the new proposals contained in the Atmore Report the cost of administration should be lessened in New Zealand by the avoidance of duplication of control. The board's powers, however, would be increased. Miss Magill said she had pointed out while in Australia that in her opinion a certain amount of local inter T est would be lost in Australia by the fact that there'was no local control of education. TEACHING AGRICULTURE. The importance of the teaching of agriculture in Australia was stressed by the conference, and as New Zealand's delegate Miss Magill said sho had mentioned that Dominion teachers thought agriculture should take equal rank with academic and technical courses. , ' " Women teachers in Australia have much more opportunity in their profession than, in New Zealand,'' said Miss Magill,'"and yet < one of the remits unanimously carried at the conference embodied the giving' of equal status to women with men in the teaching profession. There were about thirty delegates at the conference, but only three were women. Incidentally, the teachers are a very strong force in Australia, and have considerable political power. There is a big number of teachers in Parliament, including Mr. Lyons." The ontertainment of delegates to the conference had been most lavish, said Miss Magill, and she had been ■ given an especially warm welcome. There was, a possibility, concluded Miss Magill, of a delegate from Australia coming to the New Zealand Federation Conference in May.