CLASSIFICATION OF SCHOOLS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10237, 20 December 1894, Page 4

CLASSIFICATION OF SCHOOLS.

A special meeting of the Education Board, held last evening, to consider the cla.B3ißcs.tion s«home how before it, was attended by Messrs Green (chairman), M&cGregor, Cohen, Clark, M'Kerrow, and Fraser.

Mr W. Davidson, of Waitati, who is fcbe author of tli« scheme, was present by invitation to explain its dttaih. Bsfore doing »o ; he briefly stated the reasons which hail cauned him to tatre the subject up at all. and how he curao to occupy a rather prominent and to him untvnvKble position respecting the scheme, la 1390 the board proposed to grant bonuses only to teachars in the fir*t ».nd second grades, and to reduce the bouuafcs by a quarter. This was done, aud ail teachers in i the third grade and drawing bununes lost their bouuaes. Before that year expired a circular was issued to teachers relating to a sclv-me which the board had then under consideration tor rearrangement oE salaries and clftfsiGcation of Hchools. At that time he (Mr Davidaou) bad the honour of being provident of th« Duufidin branch of the Educational Institute, and, haying to open x. dekafc« at the annual meeting of the Ofcago Educational Institute, he deals with t&e subject which ' was then under the oonsiderauon of a special committee of the board Hu obtained the regulations iv force in .ill (he Australian eolouiss and compared them with ths New ZraUnd regulatioss, and he prepared and read v. paper proposing a, *cht:me for the classification of suuools and roarciLiigemeni of teactiers. A committea was set uu to consider that scheme, and th-it committee brought up a, report requesting the botvrd to permit him to explain the scheme to them, but he protested strongly against that, and the clau&e was withdrawn r'rom the cuiomittee'ii report. The scheme was, however, >3ent to the board and was referred to their committee. (Subsequently the Duuedin braueh of ths Educational Institute ftiliy considered the scheme, bufc nothing mpta had been heard of it for two years—until i£r Cohen brought the matter before the .board and he (Mr Davidson) had been invited to explain the details to the board. He was very reluctantly iv a prominent position iv cunuectiou with the scheme. Mr Davidson then proceeded by meaas of a chart to explain the details of the proposals Iv answer to a question he said that, under the scheme, teachers who were &b present elasesd Dl and held a school in any class were to bo eligible for a fust-class j«oaiviovi, bat neo so teachers with Dl certificates wh«> should subsequently come iuto the board's service; and sioiilarlj' » female teacher at present with, an Xl certificate would be eligible to hold a! first-class position. Mr :Fraseh, ititcnupting the explanation of the scheme, desired to move—"That copies of fcae scheme be forwarded to all committees with. & request for tlieir ideas thereon, and that'in the meantime the board refrain from further consideration of the matter." T&e Chaihman said that motion would be in order iaccr on. Mr Frasbk : Why not now ? Tue Chairman .replied that tho meeting was a special Kie.Ktinjj to hear Mr Ds-vidcou's i explanation of the scheme. Mr MacGueoob objectsd that Mr Eraser's prop-jsnl aujouated to a rescision of the resolution of tie board last month. Tiie Chairman said Mr Eraser's motion was pr«ui».ture »t t!;e pfeaent stage. Mr Fkasbr : You decline to taka it ? Tne Chairman : At the present time. Mr Fbaskr protested that the right of free ' discussion was being burked. He felt that he | v»».» present in an entirely false position. It Sreaiua to him »n extraordinary thing that tha ! Otago Education Board should be there relying I .■« that Htagc solely upon the views and opinioLS ■ of a gentleman who. however valuable his aoi- : vices, did not occupy such a responsible posi- ; tieu s.a sooie otber teacher« in the service, nnd lie could uofc help thinking that they were passing, as in were, a viite of waut-of-coufidence ou their inspectors and fits.ff iv not availing themselves of their advice iv connection with this matter. The Chairman ruled that he could not receiye the motion at the present; stage. Mr Fkaser : At what stage will you receive it? The Chairman : I cannot positively answer a question of that sort. • Mr Fraser did not mean the slightest discourtesy to Mr Davidson, but he felt himsslf to b« iv a. false position. Mr Cohen said Mr Fraser might be in a false position, but he did not think any other member of the board entertained that view. The resolution carried almost unanimously last mouth, Mr Fraser, perhaps, dissenting, was to the eflsci; that Mr Davidson should be , invited to explain his scheme. Mr Fraser . thought the inspectors should be s present to discuss the matter with Mr Davidson, but the (ipaakftr naaintaiued that would be an undignified and improper proceeding.. The'treasurer, who could give them information upon the flnaucial aspect of the scheme, was present, and in was not desirable tSiat at that stage any other of the officials should be present. Mr Fraser ! had been pleased to say that Mr-'Davidson was there in a non-representative character, but Mr Davidson was the author 'oil the scheme, and was better able to explain its details than any other living man. If there was ,ny question behind this of altering' the board's present policy of staffing schools ha could understand Mr Frasei's objection, but as a matter of I'act the stuffing of the schools was maintained from t»p to bottom. .. ' Mr FRASERsaid the teachers themselvea were dissatisfied with the scheme. Mr Cohen challenged that statement. Mr Fraskr had read the report of a recent mK'jtiag of teachers, and so far as he could see only two teachers supported the scheme. Mr Cohen had no hesitation in saying that 75 per cent, of the teachers in Otago entertained a different opinion from Mr Fraser. H« had taken the trouble to ascertain the opinions of the teachers throughout Ofeago, aud he spoke with authority on the position. The duty nf the board that evening w*tt to exhaust all possible information from Mr Davidson, stud if necessary then to pwtpone their decision or <!ome to * determination. Mr Phaser said Mr Cohen had just given away his position altogether. He roust face the pewition. Mr Cohen said Mr Fraser wan not entitled to put words iv his mouth. The resolutioa of the board entitled them to come to a determination if ihe majority so decided. Mr Davidson : Kscuse me one moment. I »m sorry tuaC Mr Fraser Mr Frasek was not going to be drawn into an altercation with Mr Davidson. He was just as | jt»atou.? of Mr Davidson's position as anyone (nesent. The board were entirely responsible j for Mr Davidson's appearancß there. I Mr Duvidc.on explained' that it was not by his d-»iru that he was there. He would like Mr Fraser to balieve that, he was not there willingly. Mr Fraser was quite satisfied that there was not a more modest man on the board's staff than Mr Davidson, and believed that the interest he took in the ooheina was solely prompted by a I desire to forward the cause of education. His (Sir Eraser's) difficulty still remained. ftlr MacGrkQOK complained that it was extremely unfair on the part of Mr Fraser, when Mr Davjdsen was there at the board's request, to have interrupted the proceedings iti ] the way he had, and he was quite sure that j if Mr Fraaer had been present at the opening j ol the meeting'he would not have done it. Mr . Davidson was invited there, iv the first: instance, for the purpose of explaining the scheme, so that all ths members of the board might have an opportunity of undemanding it properly, and he was not there for the purpose of giving Mr Davidson's ideas undue importance and prominence. There would be time af'erwards to havo other witnesses, includiug the inspectors, before the board, and he had uot the slightest iutention himself of coming to any decision on the matter until he had heard the inspectors. Mr Fkaskr did not see where the unfairness came in. The board were met to discuss one of the most important schemes which had ever come before them, and he had no hesitation in uaying that he did not feel personally fit to grapple with it, though it might be within the grasp of two or three more gifted members of the hoard. Beiui; of opinion tbat a studied insult had bsr.u r.ffared to the inspectors—it was an odd thing that he should be their champion— he had acted in the way h« had. The explanation of the scheme was then proceeded with, and Mr Davidson was closely questioned by members of the board as to the tdfect the adoption of his scheme would have on the staffing of schools and the »cale of salaries paid. It transpired that in schools with an atteudance of 4-50 upwards the scheme, while baaed on the board's regulations, wonld cause a change in the practice of staffing. involving the substitution of a female assistant for a mals assistant. The secretary said the scheme meant, in euch schools, doing away with* a male assistant at £220 aud replacing him by a female, assistant at £115, but Mr Davidson denied that this was correct and supported bis position by reference to the regnlatioas. It was subsequently admitted that while the scheme follows out the system of stuffing as prescribed in the regulations aa to numbers, it departs from the practice of the board inanmuch as in scboils having an attendance in excess of 450 pupils it replaces a male by a female assistant. In the course of a lengthy but purely conversational discussion which ensued, the Secretary expressed the opinion that the scheme was unworkable, and declared it was not worth the paper it was written on until the board had power to shift toachers. The matter having been discussed for over an hour, Mr Cohen moved —"That Mr Davidaon be thanked for his attendance and for his explanation of the scheme, and tbat further considerai tion of it be postponed till the February meet- | iag of the board." j Mr M Krrrow seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. | The board then rose