THE EDUCATION BILL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14281, 1 August 1908, Page 7

THE EDUCATION BILL.

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENT.?. The Education Aot Amendment Bill, says ono of our head teachers, is an earnest endeavour to remedy existing evils, but many of tlio remedies are only palliative and will produce trouble in the future. 1. Small schools aro increased and this means an increased number of low-paid salaries, though in many cases the salarieswill be relatively high for the children taught. It has been proved over and over again that small schools tend to inefficiency, and that children conveyed to central country schools are more efficiently taught. 2. There will bo an increased number of low-grade teachers, and the lucrative openings will be fewer in proportion than in tfio past, and crios aro loud now that promotions' are blocked: this ory will be accentuated in the future. 3. It appears to mo that the introduction of an assistant at. 36 is not justified. It is possible to pay £355 in salaries and house rent for the toachiug of 36 children, and to this is to lrc added 1 the cost of school building and committee's allowance. It would be bettor to havo the grading here as at present, end pay a strong teacher and give him a probationer. : 4. Women and mon should havo positions defined separately, or, at any rate, salary definitely' defined so that tiro appointment of any male teacher should not send down the salaries of women teachers. Mistresses should have position defined-: at present the 6alary varies in schools of the same siae in different provinces. 5. There should bo greater elasticity in the grading of schools. Ono of our schools has been understaffed two years out of three, arid not proposed scale, of course—cjio year. At the same time that it was understaffed—<t\vo teachers and a- pupil teacher teaching at times nearly 110—anothor was overstaffed. Common sense would suggest that the board should bo given power to transfer an assistant in such cases. Again, 12 months is too long. for a school to be under or overstaffed. 6. Salaries can still drop indefinitely, as before, as much as £30 in ono grade. Schools in -Otago liave chopped two grades, representing in the proposed scale as much as £60, and what has 'happened may happen again. 7. Tho board is supposed, by section 12, to hare the power of transfer to a grade giving the maximum before the drop, but that power is net of much value, seeing that the positions available for suitable transfers will be few and far between. 8. Lessoning tho number of grades will decrease the chances .of loss by following attendances. 9. Annual increments in each grado is a principle , that should havo been introduced years ago, but many teachers think that those who have been in the grades already for yearns should be given the maximum Ealaiy now, and not have to work up as if they had just been placed in the grade.