WOMEN TEACHERS.

Northern Advocate, 23 June 1920, Page 4

WOMEN TEACHERS.

VARIOUS CLAIMS .MADE

DECLARED REASONABLE,

WELLINGTON, June 22,

The claims of women teaeheits to bettor consideration in the staffing of schools were advanced by a deputation from the Women Teachers' Association which waited on the Minister for Edu cation, the Hon. C. J. Parr, to-day.

Miss Goad, president of the association, asked that 'opportunity should be given to a woman teacher to control girls in the upper* classes of the primary schools, and that a senior mistress for the upper school should always be on the staff of a large school, with rank and salary equal to that of an infant mistress. At present the only high position open to women was that of infant mistress. It was urged that as all women were not, suited for l this work there ought to be positions of equal rank and pay open to them in the upper school. It was the opinion of the association that girls from 12 to 18 years of age ought to be taught, by women. Another request was that the Government should introduce legislation to regulate the employment of school j children out of school hours at such work as selling pagers and delivering milk. Generally as to .salaries Miss Ooad asked for consideration for women teachers. Much was said of the need for attracting men to the profession, but the profession had need also o" women, and it was a fact that the best girls were not now entering the profession. Miss Finlayson and Miss Edwards both urged the need for more generous staffing and more efficient teaching in the infant department of schools'.

The Minister said he fully agreed with most of the representations made to him. He thought the plea -for the appointment of a senior mistijess to take charge of girls in the : -tipper classes was a perfectly reasonable one. He would consult with the Department as to whether this could be done. With regard to the teaching of sex hygiene, also referred to by the deputation he was quite in accordance with them that it ,would be unwise to have this mattet' taught iv schools by outsiders, or even by teachers themselves. He appro ■■•il of the suggestion that the Department might provide for this instruction by sending pamphlets to parents. Tha subject could be taught effectively only in the home. As to the suggestion for the regulation of the hours of work, of children of tendon years, it would be sufficient for him to say that he was asking the Government to introduce some legislation this session dealing with this matter. .He recognised that the employment of children might be due to economic necessity on th«j part of a parent, but this economic necessity must be provided for in some oth~r way. Children must not be exploited. He hoped to be able to get the law amended. The amendment might not be ditistic, but he hoped it would be sufficient to stop the evils of child labour. The-suggestion-as to the better rostaffing of the infant departments of large schools seemed to him quite fair. He could see no .-logical'reason for any difference between the staffing provided for. a. separate infant school and the staff for an equal number of children in the infant 'department of a large school.