THE TEACHING PROFESSION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LX, Issue LX, 31 October 1910, Page 8

THE TEACHING PROFESSION.

COST OF EXAMINATIONS. BY TELEGRAPH— PEESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON,_Oct. 30. Replying to the Rev. P. Jts. Frase'r's statements, published in the Dunedin Star, that pupil teachers drawing small salaries have tc pay excessive tees for their; necessary qualifying examinations; that pupil teachers are compelled to sit for tne Civil Service examination, for which they are charged an exorbitant fee, and tnat the Department of Education took £4000 for students' examinations, the -Hon. D. Buddo gives the facts brieily as follows: — The Department hold examinations from November to January. In November, December and January last there were 7000 candidates for these examinations, of whom 6508 actually sat. Of these, 2214 were candidates for Junior, National and Education Board junior scholarships and fr.ee places. Formerly education boards held their own separate examinations, paying the expenses out of their own funds. Now the Dcv partment holds a general examination for junior scholarships and pays the expenses. Neither the boards nor the candidates were being charged. Last time 2369 sat for the Civil Service junior scholarships, free places, and pupil teachers, these being in two # grades, competitive and non-competitive, the candidates for the senior free places and pupil' teachers taking the latter, for which a fee was charged. No fee was charged for education board senior scholarships, the only candidates paying being those for entrance to the public service, tfho pay £1. No pupil teacher need pay the fee unless ne chooses to be a candidate for entrance to the public service. A candidate for probationership can qualify by passing the intermediate examination, for which there is no fee. % Candidates desiring entrance to v training college must matriculate, or obtain a partial certificate. The fee for the former is two guineas, payable to. the New Zealand University. A fee is charged for the latter (£1) and this was insufficient to cover the cost of the examination. The last series of examinations are for D., C. and B. certificates, and Civil Service senior. For the former 1675 entered and 1482 sat, many taking both Ahe.C. and D. papers, paying fees for both. The total fees paid by the 1675 candidates was £1658 2s 6d, not £4000, as Mr Fraser had stated. It was the head teacher's duty to give suitable and regular instruction to pupil teachers and probationers