EDUCATION ECONOMY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 37, 27 January 1932, Page 5

EDUCATION ECONOMY

SAVING IN SALARIES RETIRING HEADMASTERS. SCHEME FOR REPLACEMENT. A proposal under which the Education Department could save possibly £50,(1(10 a year by retiring headmasters of higher grade schools who have completed 40 years’ service was put forward on Friday (says the “New Zealand Herald’’) by a retired teacher who has had charge of several of these schools. There have been many suggestions that the Government shouh. reduce the expenditure on education, but there have been few proposals that would make possible any considerable saving without impairing the efficiency of the educational system. It was suggested by the teacher that about £lO,OOO a year could be saved in the Auckland urban area alone, and that a proper tionate saving in tire other education districts of the Dominion would bring the totu, to something like £50,000. “There are in the big city and sub urban schools alone about 20 headmasters with 40 years' service or more drawing salaries averaging probably £5OO a year after the deduction of the 10 per cent, cut,” said the teacher. “These men, if they wished, could re tire with superannt tion of over £3OO. This year two or three of them intend so doing, but as retirement after 40 years’ service is not compulsory many others will naturally carry on until they reach the ago limit of 65 years, when they must leave the service. Under the present system, if these mea were rctird compulsorily, a chain of promotions, with consequent increases of salary would follow right down the service.

WORK FOR JUNIORS. “If, on the other hand, these headmaster positions were not filled, this promotion chain would be arrested, creating dissatisfaction among the hundreds who are waiting to fill the shoes of those higher up. These difficulties could be overcome by the scheme I am puttiug forward, and there would be scope for the saving of nearly £lO,OOO a year in the Auckland urban area. At the same time there would be definite employment for a number of junior teachers equal to the total number retired.” It was explained that under the scheme all headmasters of large schools who had completed 40 years' service would be retired on superannuation and, until conditions improved, their positions would not be filled. The first assistant of each school would be required to act as headmaster without any salary increment. He would still be required to teach and to carry out the organising of the standard classes, and would be given a probationary assistant at £lOO a year to help him with his work. It was felt that the infant classes could safely be left for organisation and promotion purposes to the control of the many capable mistresses now in charge of them.

YEAR’S TRIAL URGED. It was argued that a year’s trial of the scheme would soon show whether there was any deterioration in teaching power. This, however, was not likely, since the assistants who were given this opportunity of making good would certainly face their new duties wholeheartedly, although the extra remuneration which they might regard as their right would be denied them. In schools of grade 5, it was pointed out, the headmaster does the organisation and teaches a class, commonly using a probationer in training to assist him where he is p/llowed one, and there seemed no reason why this system should not bo applied to schools of grades 6 and 7, except that it would be a break away from custom. An alternative to the scheme propounded would be to require the headmaster of a top grade school to take a class with the. help of a probationary assistant and to relieve him of one of his higherpaid male assistants now on the staff. This, however, would not produce the same economy for another position would have to be found for the teacher so displaced. ALTERNATIVE TO CUTS. “The scheme which I have put forward is an unpalatable one,” continued this educationist, “for every assistant or headmaster of a small school is living in hopes of promotion and with my proposal he would see these hopes severely restricted. This would be better than reductions of staffs or salaries, which seem inevitable if the education vote is to bo smaller. It seems to mo to bo a practical way of securing definite economics, while safeguarding efficiency. It would not disorganise schools with changes of staffs in the manner which the proposed system of rationing probationary assistants is bound to do. “Moreover, tho scheme could be brought in. operation by the Education Depa nent through tho various boards without the necessity of special legislation. It could be brought into effect by March 31 of this year. By that time the various headmasters would have completed one of the most import...it duties. would have so organised the school that it would work efficiently throughout the year. Tho working of the scheme would be facilitated, too, if .he department curtailed its multitudinous demands for returns anil figi”-'-" which occupy no small part of a headmaster's time.”