SCHOOL TEACHERS.

Northern Advocate, 25 August 1913, Page 4

SCHOOL TEACHERS.

i In replying to a question respecting school teachers in the House of Representatives the other day the Minister for Education stated that the tendency nearly all over the world for women to replace men ao teachers was not nearly so marked in New Zealand as in other countries. -He pointed out that naif the children in our public schools are under the age of ten, and women teachers are presumably most suitable for tb.em; nearly half the remainder or nearly a quarter of the whole number are girls over ten, and it is generally conceded that they should be taught by women. So far as class-teaching is concerned \ there would be nothing to fear, therefore, if the proportion of women teachers to men teachers were three to one. No doubt the difficulty in directing certain mixed schools renders it desirable that the ! proportion of men should be greater | than this; in New Zealand it is more than twice as great. The two folI lowing tables, published in last year's Education Report, indicate in [brief the main facts. They give the number of women teachers per hundred men teachers for the years named for New Zealand and for the respective countries: —" Number of Women Teachers or Students per Hundred Men Teachers or Students (omitting Teachers of Schools with Fifteen or less in Average Attendance). —Adult primary teachers: 125, 1906; 124, 1907; 126* 1908; .140, 1909; 141, 1910; 142, 1911. Pupil teachers: 339, 1906; 277, 1907; 296, 1908; 319, 1909; 302, 1910; 295, 1911. Secondary teachers: 80, 1906; 77, 1907; 76, 1908; 82, 1909; 85, 1910; 84, 1911. Train-ing-college students; 350, 1906; 315, 1907; 285, 1908; 280, 1909; 219, 1910; 197, 1911. All teachers and students: -148, 1906; 142, 1907; 144, 1908; 158, 1909; 156, 1910; 155, 1911. Adult primary teachers: England, 314; Scotland, 245; United States, 368; New Zealand, 142. Pu-pil-teachers: England, 313; Scotland, 449; United States, figures not available; New Zealand, 295. Secondary teachers: England, 95; Scotland, figures not available; United States, 121 ; New Zealand, 84. Train-ing-college students: England, 211; Scotland, 389; United States, 365; New Zealand, 197."

The Minister also supplied the following list of retirements during the year ended May 31, 1913. This hardly supports the idea of an unusual exodus of men from the teaching profession:—Men who left the service of education boards throughout the Dominion during twelve months prior to May, 1913, who were contributors to the teachers' superannuation fund. —Under twenty years of age: Two —one left to take up farming and one went with his people to Australia. Between the ages of twenty and thirty years: Thirteen —one now teaching at a private secondary school, one a storekeeper, one an hotelkeeper, one Director of the Boys' Institute, one a cheese-factory proprietor, one a farmer, one a student (weak health); four, membership lapsed (three again became contributors and one intends teaching when health restored). Between the ages of 30 and 40 years: Six —one a law clerk, two left New Zeauand (one for Australia and one for the Islands); three no reason for leaving profession. Between the ages of 40 and 50 years: One—gives no reason for leaving profession. Over 50 years of age: One —now a bookkeeper.