NO LEAVE

Hokitika Guardian, 13 December 1935, Page 2

NO LEAVE

FOR MILITARY CAMPS

EDUCATION BOARD DECISION

AUCKLAND, December 11

While being in favour of voluntary unitary, training the Auckland (Education Board made it clear at its meeting to-day { that it would not grant leave of absence to teachers to attend military camps.

A letter was received from the former Minister of Education (the Hon S- G. Smith) stating that the Defence Department was concerned over the refusal of the board to grant leave of absence to teachers to attend miltary camps. The Defence Department had ranked teachers among its valuable officers, and the camps would materially suffer by their absence.' The Government was anxious to prove that the volunteer system could adequately meet the needs of the country, and hoped that all Government and semi-Gov-ernment institutions would co-oper-ate. The training system provided the schools with men of fine character.

A reply drafted by the chairman of the board (Mr T. 'U. AVells') which met with the approval of all the members at the meeting, said that the board was prepared to cooperate with the Defence Departent in any reasonable way. A teacher’s firs!) duty, however, was to his pupils. The Defence Department invariably arranged its camps in the early part of the year, but after the schools had recommenced. At this time the teachers were particularly busy with the general reorganisation of their schools. As the teachers enjoyed three months’ holiday each year, the board appealed ,to the department to arrange at least some of its camps during the holidays. The department had not met the board in any single case and it appeared that the department had adopted an attitude of “take all, but give nothing.’’