DISMISSAL OF TEACHERS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5305, 12 February 1879, Page 2

DISMISSAL OF TEACHERS.

Sir, — As we are almost daily reminded of how unsmoothly the wheels of our new educational machinery are moving, you will perhaps permit me to direct attention to the above subject ; but, before doing so, I may remark that it has been a matter of general surprise that, notwithstanding all we have heard about the imperfections of our educational system, the board have never once referred to the still more conspicuous defects and blemishes which, in respect of scholastic accuracy and common senso, characterised the examinations. Whilst the Waipawa affair shows how extremely anxious they are to point out and make the most of the motes in the eyes of others, they have been studiously silent about the beam in their own. They would seem to be of opinion that it is wise to let sleeping dogs lie, when they are of an especially disagreeable nature. This may satisfy the board. It will, however, scarcely satisfy the public ; nor will it increase that confidence in the impartiality and special fitness, of those who have been

■ , ~ ,:-'..;--;.-T^^ entrusted with the educational interests,- „•■ of the province. The board have^fuilyTft.- .-^ proved their capacity for . disposing; of f^;-. ; helpless tekohers/ who have foolishly apd'Sl^ V unsuspectingiy'piaced themselves in their-|||f power. And no lesa clearly have i; they^l/f displayed their zeal in rooting out reoat##- . ; citrant teachers,: who have been., goaded^' 7'. ,<■ into insubordination 1 and phrens^>b^ipß • ,^ injustice they,, felt done theni by^'jtiV(-; inspector's reports But oharity begins at ■ home, and the' 'board would have done ■well to have swept their own thresholds -... before interesting themselves so much ui/i-i othei* peopled v^U'-Vy-Mention has jtist been made at tkti i'*^t Waipawa scene. Mr. Waiters evidently acted in a. way alike foolish and reprehensible. Inj ured he tiiay have been j injured in all probability he -was; how; /, ,/ ever, he would seem to be by no means' singular. Nevertheless* hia conduct^ caii4 : not for a moment be justified. But, ;^ils# this is the case, does the^ b'pard're'allyjtbjn^^ the public will ; ; rest satisfied r summary way of cutting^ theGor^ian ?-f ■ -^ I Charges have been made wWch^dema^idOlj" investigation. In the inteteM^v^uc^^ tion and those immediately concerae^/ the H r , matter must be thoroughly and ; ;impar|i«fi r r .-:. ally sifted^ This and this alpnei,;wiUV '-L satisfy. • . (ru , . 1 .,T.'; J ; ; "^.''*':'''^ With these ramarks I'nOwaidvert'to the'{ ' • dismissal of teachers. In connection withs"'. ' > this matter, three questions JfaU ; tor be >y ; > considered. ■ ..^. ...^ -~tv 1. Are teachers .who were in 6fficda'€f; ; ; the time of the f parsing ' of tHe' ;^bt f r^-, -" : , quired to undergo examination t6' obtain;a; ;^ certificate of simple competency..?^^ The 'f^ "chairman of the ..board, says '.'. they ,'mI(B.-^ ; ;Others, equally competent to' 'give' 'aa^ opinion, say they are not This, is the. general opinion; It is the view acted upoit.;: : elsewhere, and; if language is\ capable v^ being understood, this iB r the correct^cpn-j,^ struction of the Act. AUinew/teachertji.^;^ appointed since the Act oamejintocfor^eV^v.v must either hold a .certificate! or passman :.;-,<( examination to obtain pne> But pf^old :%H teachers it is expressly said, that," subject ; } ; t to certain (Conditions, they; shall qpntinu^- !; -- to hold office as if no such Act ;^ere ■ih i ?; force. '■ ••' ■ " '■■. ■■'"-' ■■ : %''V :T 'Sv ■ 2, Were the teachers,,: who failed-, ifi^j n their examinations dismissed by the board;- V' ' without first ■ consulting ;the committees^' ,- as required by the Act? ---In 'the HjSEAii)|,f of January 7 the chairman is represpnted/fi. •„• to have saiid :~" We did, 'not dismiflß;X ; j them. We merely -pointed out* that itt'rt terms of the Act teaoherr'whp.had 3 nbtW. I passed the examination could not 66ntin\i&J^' v to be teachers in the schools under thej'. board." The chairman' w6uld v ii?oblige, in the first place, by pointing ,Qj»{-;i •: ,the section or sub-section of. the Ac^flS^?;:. which this statement is based. , IrOheKp^'second place, chairmen of^public bodies^ Jti as a rule, are not expected ito; have vveiy-|:f* lively memories, and to this fact probably^ s'^j may be ascribed a statement, the v-yeryjir opposite of what the ; board did^ r Qnfthe-) ; .r 17th December last, Mr Hill , conimuni-i.; '.■ cated with one of the non-succjssf ul; f£fe>« teachers in these/terms : , " I V hay^ : tP 1 ; i inform you that, your ierigagemeiitl-aJB ..a'j '■'■*'■£ teacher under the bpardjwill : terminate • 'oa v' March 31st, 1879> it bein^ 6pposed!p»'the^ . requirements of, the Educatipnl Aifitt-td^r, ( : , employ uncertificated • teachers wHen prb^f,^': perly qualified teachers are awaiting* : employment." Such are the secretary's; words. And it is an undeniable fact that^ : at the time these words were penned, the committee specially interested- had mever :; if been consulted, nor had thiß bpariianyi ; ; - authority but its own to " terminate theie 5;; S engagement." After this will it be denied ' v that the board dismissed some? of the^'"~S teachers, at all events, on their 'own' V - responsibility, and that in so doing they „r i acted right in the teeth of the plain^re- ;? :! ; quirements of the Act, " that, no appoint-, 4, ment, suspension, or dismissal, should,. \n take place until the committees have been,' ' first consulted?" ; 1.7 It may also be observed, that the chair- } ( man was riot only mistaken in his Btate- , ment of the board's action towards the, teachers, but likewise, in his explanation vi r? of the requirements of the Act. Nowhere . is the employment of uncertificated teachers prohibited under the Act. ; O^V 1 ' the contrary, it sanctions . their employrv^f ment, and in accordance with the spirit . and letter of the Act, the "Order" in ~ R x^ Council " provides that teachers who have failed to obtain a certificate may be licensed to teach for a period of two years. ; It will thus be seen that the board in their dismissal of the teachers have acted with needless haste and harshness, as well as illegally. On what ground their : action ia' I to be explained it is impossible to tell, tin* less it was to make room for those needy!* aspirants to office, who, in the secretary's elegant, language, " are awaiting employment." 3. Were the examinations, which furnished the board with the ground of a pretext for dismissing the-teachers, of any authority whatever? Were they sanctioned i either by the Act or the " Order in Oounoils ?" : If J mistake not, they had. no Government authority^at(jd were quite irregular and invalid. They w.ere purely provisional, and simply intended tP; afibroU l any teachers who thought fit to attend, an opportunity of securins; a certificate of competency before the Government examinations took place. To encourage ,the ; attendance of teachers they were led to be- (- lieve that the examinations .would be com-y^, paratively easy. How this expectaKßf . was fulfilled all know. It will thus"^ ' seen that, whilst the object of the examiV nations was most commendable, they themselves were quite irregular and without any Parliamentary authority., All other considerations apart the board on the strength of these examinations could : . no more dismiss any teachers who fajled. .„ to pass, than they could dismiss such teachers as did not appear. If they had power to do the one thing they had power to do the other. Wherefore, if the board prefer "trouble," not to " "inefficient,..t t , .. teachers," but, to a proper discharge of their functions, they- would seem in the meantime to be in a fair way to have; their fondest desires gratified. Their \ whole procedure in their dealings with the' dismissed teachers was unwarrantable,/ and most unquestionably lays them open >\C to legal proceedings and heavy damages. A word in conclusion, regarding certificates, and the qualifications of candidates. One would scarcely credit that the only degrees in the wide world that would entitle a teacher to a first or second clas3 certificate, are degrees of the University) of New Zealand, an institution that has no visible existence, and is merely an examining body, takes precedence of every existing University in Ohristedpm. To shew the anomalous state of things, an M.A. of the N.Z. University would, underour present system of education, be entitled to a first clas3 certificate, and a B. A. to a second class certificate, but were a Cambridge or Oxford Wrangler, or a . graduate in honors, of London, Glasgow, '" Edinburgh, Dublin, or any of the old ; , European Universities, a candidate for some bush school, he must be content to V take any place assigned him. His degree would be of no earthly benefit to him, and he must submit to have the class and . value of his certificates fixed by men, who : ; . probably enough never heard a" University - lecture, and never paid a matriculation ■; fee. In short, degrees which, outside - New Zealand, would be of no earthly i value, or at most, would not rank higher ; ' than a certificate from' the upper form of . , a grammar school at home, are made a sine qua non,. whilst degrees, whose value everywhere outside New Zealand, is at once recognised, are made of no importance. There is no difficulty in accounting for this anomaly. It is not, however, ' in this way, that the New Zealand insti-i, tution is to be made the premier University of the world, and the whole thing is so palpably absurd that it cannot fail to work its own cure. But in the meantime, such preposterous regulations not only expose our whole educational system to well merited contempt, but what is mom important, are highly detrimental to the best interests of education thoughoufc the colony.— l am, &c., . . Obsebybb; n