A QUESTION OF SEX

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3648, 26 January 1899, Page 7

A QUESTION OF SEX

THE COUNTRY TEACHER DIFFICULTY. The proposal of Mr MoCardle that residential accommodation should be provided for a teacher of an up-conntry school raised the question of the sexes in relation to teaching' at the meeting of the Education Board yesterday. Mr Hogg gave it as his opinion that more young men were wanted in the Board’s service. He noticed, however, that the young men stuck to the towns and could not be induced to “ go to the country ” The result was that female teachers ware forced into uncongenial surroundings—such surroundings very often as any self • respecting man would hesitate to allow any daughter or'female relative of his to bo placed in. He (Mr Hogg) thought thatsSbie means should be taken to induce the male teachers to attach themselves to the country schools. •' :■ Mr Robertson pointed out that the trouble was that men would not work for the same wages as women.

Mr Hogg said the only thing to be done was to pay more. It was not fair that the men should have the monopoly of the towns, and that the women should be driven to tho country. He noticed that when applications were invited for vacancies tho men only wont for those worth .£IOO and over. Anything else the women could have.

Mr Buchanan contended that that result was the only one that could be expected when it was remembered that young men of the ability requisite to obtain teachers’ certificates could obtain more lucrative positions in the towns than they could in the country as schooltnasters. The Chairnan strongly combated that view, pointing out that the clerks and cm-,-pioyees of our mercantile houses wore paid .very low salaries. Tho reason, why theydid not embrace teaching was that they baulked at the study involved. , . Mr Robertson held that there' were: reasons which made settlors prefer female to male teachers in isolated country schools.

Mr Hogg said bis experience was the reverse. There were schools within his ( ken where it would become absolutely necessary for male td* succeed female teachers in order that discipline mighty be maintained places where strong, Impetuous boy scholars showed a disposition to take charge of the school. Ho pointed out that young men, if they had tho gritto face back-block conditions, could live" vary much cheaper than women circumstanced.

Mr McCardle confirmed the’ view, and said that the committeemen of two different schools had recently to urge on him the necessity of appointing teachers at schools where the boys were, really in command, the female- ‘teacher's only nominally So. The Chairman said if they were going to; remedy the state of things indicated the. increased money to pay male teachersn would: have to come out of the salaries of the highly-paid portion of the Board’sstaff. On the other hand, there might he isolated cases whofe the country settlerspreferred malo teachers, but the almost invariable experience had been that they wanted female teachers who could teach m 1 wie and sewing. The discussion dropped without any de-’ finite conclusion having been arrived at. In this connection the following facts and figures will bo found interesting were at the end of December 14,418 chil-, dren. attending the 143 schools under the; jurisdiction of the Wellington Education' Board —7317 males and 6901 females. The Board employs 413 teachers—l 24 males; anl 289 females, besides’ nine sewing, teachers, whh are extra.. .