TIME OFF FOR SPORTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21868, 2 August 1934, Page 13

TIME OFF FOR SPORTS

REQUESTS BY TEACHERS EDUCATION BOARD VIEW EACH CASE ON ITS MERITS The question of whether teachers should be granted leave of absence for sports fixtures when their absence meant the closing of the school was raised at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board yesterday by the chairman, J\lr. T. U. Wells. Requests were continually being received from country teachers for leave of absence, said Mr. Wells, and he had takeii it on himself to refuse permission in some cases where the school would have to be closed as a result.

Teachers were encouraged to foster various forms of sport among their pupils, said Mr. Wells, and there was no doubt that a teacher who was chosen to represent his district gained added prestige in the eyes of the children and was at an advantage when encouraging them to participate in sports. At the same time a teacher's first duty was to teach and the closing of a school seemed hardly justifiable. Several members said the position was different in different cases and districts. Mr. Wells said he considered intercolonial representation was on a different footing and he would be inclined to granc leave of absence to a teacher chosen to represent New Zealand. A letter was received from the chairmau of a school committee supporting an application for leave of absence from a teacher chosen to represent North Auckland at football. The letter said the committee was very pleased with the good work the teacher had done among the children of the district. The residents were proud of the honour he had won and would be glad to see him given an opportunity of representing the union. Mr. Wells said that it was very difficult to refuse an application of that kind, jet it seemed unfair to discriminate.

Mr. C. R. Munro said he did not think a school suffered through the short absence of a teacher if the teacher was a good one. Any loss of school time was offset by the added prestigo the teacher gained in the eyes of the pupils. The acting-chief inspector, Mr. M. Priestley, reported that in some cases frequent absences for sports events affected a teacher's work. Examples had occurred last year where one relieving teacher who had obtained leave frequently had lost grading marks during the year and another had gained none. Mr. S. B. Sims said it was impossible to lay down a hard and fast- rule, and it was decided to leave decisions to the discretion of the chairman and secretary. ,