EDUCATION AFFAIRS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21910, 20 September 1934, Page 14

EDUCATION AFFAIRS

FALL IN SCHOOL GRADES EFFECT ON STAFF SALARIES RATIONING OF TEACHERS A list of teachers who, from February 1, 1935, will ho receiving salary in excess of the scale, owing to reduced attendance during 1034, was presented at a meeting of the Auckland Education Board yesterday. A total of 35 schools will fall in grade or sub-grade, affecting 59 teachers.

After consideration in committee it was decided to write to the teachers concerned and inform them of the position. They will have a year in which to apply for transfers to other schools, and if they have not found positions at the end of that time at the grade to which their grading marks entitle them, they will have to continue in their present positions at a lower salary. The list is largor than_ usual this year, owing to the restrictions preventing five-year-old children from attending schools. It is anticipated that the majority of the teachers afFected will be able to secure transfers during the year. In reply to an inquiry regarding appointments of teachers under the rationing scheme, the Education Department advised that it considered rationed teachers who, without satisfactory reasons, refused to accept country work, should not receive further work. It was of the opinion that rationed teachers in lieu of probationary assistants, those attending university classes and those whoso home circumstances were exceptional, should not be asked to accept work in country schools. A Temporary Arrangement "The rationing scheme is mainly to give unemployed teachers positions," said the chairman, Mr. T. U. Wells, when a letter was received from a country school committee protesting against the withdrawal of a temporary additional assistant. "We all know it is a temporary arrangement, and as soon as permanent positions are available teachers will be removed from these temporary positions. Some committees do not appear to realise this, and as soon as we remove a teacher to place him in a permanent position, we get a protest from the committee. They do not appear to realise that they have merely been gaining temporarily from the exceptional circumstances obtaining."

A letter was received from the Howick School Committee stating that it strongly favoured the proposal for the consolidation of the Howick and Pakuranga schools, and forwarding guarantees from a number of parents that thoy would enrol their children in the secondary department, if one were established. A petition was forwarded from householders in the Pakuranga district protesting against the proposed consolidation. It was decided to defer consideration until further information had been obtained. Educational Broadcasts It was reported that there had been a steady increase during the year in the number of schools listening to the educational broadcasts from IYA. At the beginning of the year 98 schools were equipped with wireless, allowing 5083 children to hear the broadcasts. There were now 144 schools so equipped and 7569 children listening.

A report was received that 1766 children had paid visits to the War Memorial Museum during the second term. The most popular subjects dealt with had proved to be Maori history and arts and crafts, and New Zealand native bird life. Two new school museum cases had been completed and 33 were now available for distribution to schools.

Sympathetic reference was made by the* chairman to the recent deaths of four of the board's teachers or former teachers, Mr. A. S. Hint?-! Mr. C. F. Stratford, Miss J. Wilson and Miss U. Mabbett.