TEACHING RATIONED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21086, 21 January 1932, Page 11

TEACHING RATIONED.

RELIEVING UNEMPLOYMENT. COLLEGE STUDENTS AFFECTED. NO PERMANENT WORK OFFERED. The 150 student teachers -who completed their course at the Auckland Training College at the end of last year an d left confident of obtaining a year's full employment as probationary assistants, 'will be forced to take their chance with about j 350 unemployed ex-students in securing a share of rationed work. The students in the other centres will be similarly affected. Those who secure employment will receive salaries of approximately £2O less than the former allowances for relieving work. Advice to that effect 'was received from the Education Department at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Education Board. The department forwarded further details of its adopted scheme for the rationing of -work among teachers not in permanent positions. The department stated that suggestions submitted by the boards had been considered, but by applying the scheme, as drafted, the greatest relief would be effected. To give a full year's employment to the students who had left the training colleges at the end of last year would render the scheme much less effective. Details of Scheme. The department could not agree unreservedly to the suggestion that the number of available additional assistants, estimated at 76, should be allotted to the individual boards on a pro rata basis, to be allocated to the schools as the board and the senior inspector determined. It would still be necessary for boards to apply for approval before appointing additional assistants. The letter stated that this year the positions usually filled by probationary assistants, substituted probationary assistants, additional assistants, and relieving teachers of grades A and B would all be regarded as relieving positions and would be filled by graded ex-training college students. These •would receive a salary of £IOO a year, together with, where necessary, a boarding allowance of £36 a year or travelling expenses not exceeding £24 a year. The order of preference for employment would be as follows: —First term: (a) The ex-students who had least employment last year, provided the senior inspector approved of their employment; (b) the best graded ex-students last year and previous years. Second term: (a) The remainder of the ex-students of 1931 and previous years; (b) the best graded of the teachers who were employed during the first term. Third term: The best graded ex-students irrespective of the amount of former employment. Position of Ex-students. Relieving teachers for the higher positions, that is, sole teachers of large grade 11. schools, head teachers, and assistants of grade 11. or higher, did not come within the scope of the scheme. It was expected that any board finding itself at any time able to employ more than the number of unemployed teachers in its own district would communicate with the department in order that relief might be given to less fortunate districts. The department did not wish to save any money by the scheme, but had to keep -within the sum voted for salaries. It. would be necessary, therefore, to review the scheme at the end of the first term to determine whether more or fewer additional assistants should be approved for the second and third terms. Other details of the operation of the scheme, such as the appointment of teachers to the schools nearest to their homes, and the selection of the second division of appointees for the first term, would be left to the discretion of the boards. The chairman, Mr. A. Burns, said the scheme meant that last year's training college students would have to compete with teachers who had left the college for periods ranging up to four years. The rationing system would not adversely affect previous' students to the same extent., as they would have a better chance of obtaining positions. The students who left last year had no idea that a continuous year's -work did not await them. The scheme aimed at giving a. fair share of employment to all exstudents. TRAINING COLLEGE ENTRY. 22 PROBATIONERS DEBARRED. The senior inspector of schools in Auckland, Dr. J. W. Mcllraith, reported to the Auckland Education Board yesterday that 22 qualified probationers in Auckland would not be admitted this year to the Auckland Training College. A total of 138 had sought admission, and of those ten had not been satisfactorily reported upon. The maximum number of new students, namely 106, allowed this year by the Education Department, had been selected from the remaining 128. The successful applicants had been selected on their grading marks by the senior inspector and his staff, and the headmasters of the respective schools. The action of the department, in permitting such a position to arise was criticised by members, and it was decided to urge the department to give the utmost consideration to the 22 when any vacancies occurred. The chairman, Mr. A. Burns, pointed out that the regrettable position was in no way the fault of the board. OTAGO ADOPTS PLAN. x SOME MODIFICATIONS SOUGHT. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] DUNEDIN, "Wednesday. The Education Department's scheme for rationing work among unemployed teachers was to-day adopted by the Otago Education Board, which, however, asked to be allowed to introduce some modifications with the object of doing a little more for those who would have been probationary assistants this year.