TEACHERS’ QUALIFICATIONS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12534, 22 June 1901, Page 3

TEACHERS’ QUALIFICATIONS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Might I suggest, through your columns, what-seems to me would be a saving of money to our Educational De-partment,-namely, doing away with that , ■branch of our Normal training school which exists for the purpose of preparing student* for examinations * . When the new sod© comes in, unless it is materially amended, no woman will get a fair wage, unlqss aim* . is-an infant mistress, and » (has been proved in Christchurch that the work of an infant mistress cam be done well by a. woman with ah E certificate, the infant mistresses of Seven large Christchurch schools having only. E certificates. Any fourth year pupil-teacher can take this. tificate, and many of them do before going to the. Normal. The men students, whfi are always fewen in number than the wo* , men, could attend classes at the Unlvefr sity. In the olden days, men and women teachers alike were encouraged to eduost* themselves, and many axe the'pleasant !recollections of the students’ room at tho Normal; but now, if women are to b® ousted like criminals from all bnt th® lowest positions as standard teacher®, to make room-.for the men, an E certificate is certainly all that they need,’ ahd the Government need go to no expense tbjprovide them even with D certificates. Tmirai will be no necessity for the Universities! to cry out at the decrease of student*. What public school teacher is going to spend the evenings of the best part of her life studying, when her diploma is of no more use to her than so much waste paper, and a knowledge of pin-pricking andpapiaN folding of muon higher value in the edmw tional market.—-I am, etc., ENQUIRER.