THE APPOINTMENT OF SCHOOL TEACHERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10508, 30 July 1897, Page 6

THE APPOINTMENT OF SCHOOL TEACHERS.

TO THE EDITOR, Sir,—Your leading article in Tuesday's paper.was very much to the point. You say that the Board would be quite within its rights if it sent the name of only one teacher to a school committee. Many people believe that would be the fairest course to pursue, for unless they are known personally to the school committees, or have influenceare able to "work the oracle" as they sayteachers have very little chance of promotion. This is not as it should be—merit should ensure promotion, not influence. Surely the Board could arrange for the chief inspector to prepare a list at the beginning of every year,'of teachers who are deserving of promotion, and place them in their due order of merit, and when a suitable vacancy occurred the name of the one first on the list should be forwarded (if he so wished) to the committee for their approval. Then the next one on the list should have the next chance, and not, as at present, a new list be prepared for every vacancy. In this way every teacher would know that he would be promoted in his turn if he deserved, it, irrespective of the amount of influence he possessed. Of course, it would not suit those teachers who depend on the efforts of their friends for promotion, It seems very strange that in a democratic country like New Zealand influence should be the one thing necessary for'advancement The peqple with the best chance of promotion' are those in the town or suburbs, who naturally are well known—perhaps! they got their places through being so well known. Country teachers are out of the race entirely, for with them it is a case of "out of sight out of mind." It is rather discouraging for such teachers to apply for school after school, have their names forwarded to the committee as being eligible and deserving, and then never get any of the appointments, because' some one else has succeeded.in obtaining the goodwill of the committee. The fact is, unless the Board adopts some such scheme as the one mentioned, many deserving teachers in the country will have to stay where is has pleased the Board to place, them for the rest of. their natural lives. The Herald deserves the thanks of the whole community for drawing attention to the" snbjecl, and for its fairness in discussing it.—l am, etc., ...-■■■ . - - -'■■■■■■ '"<•', : SENEX.