TEACHERS' GRADING SCHEME

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16752, 21 July 1916, Page 2

TEACHERS' GRADING SCHEME

OTAGO TEACHERS SUFFER. EDUCATION BOARD DISSATISFIED. A statement regarding the new feathers' giachng M'hemo, with special refeionce to its treatment of Ot.igo teachers, was mado to the Education Board jesterday by its cha liiian (Mr D. T. Fit ming) Iho Otago Board, he '•aid, was not concerned veiy much with the new pradmg scheme beyond seeing that <i reasonably lair deal was being given to tho teachers m its ticrvioe. Apparently the tcachcis thought they had not got that. A few figures would give some idea of how matters stood. Iho graded marks were allocated as follows: — Skill in teaching, 40 per cent.; personality and discipline, 15 per cent. ; organisation and management, 15 per cent, environment, 5 pel font.; at ademic attainment, 15 per cent.; service, 10 per cent. The two latter figures, amounting to 25 per cent., wero automatically awarded In addition to this maximum of 100 marke aw aided by inspectors tho department added a quolJ. of 10 marks for each of six grades, making 60 extiA marks automatically avv.ndod. It seemed to him that tho automatic marks submerged altogether the inspectors' marks awarded according to his \aluation of the teachers. Theie were approximately 3675 teachers in tho graded lists, divided into 111 sections of graded numbers, each including one up to 50 or more teachcis of equal grading. In tho hist 47 wet ions there weie 527 teachers. 'Iho best teacher in Otago was placed only in the fourth section. Of the 34 females in the highest 410 teachet.s, Otago had only two. It seemed to him that tho Otago teachers had suffered by some meanb or another. Ileio was another cxtraoid nary point. Tho average place of the head masters in Canterbuiy in iliavge of schools of o\er 100 pupils was 35th on the graded list, but the average place of Otago head masteis in similar schools was 76th on the h&t. No one could say that the Otago teachers wero so far behind the tcachcis in other parts of tho dominion as to warrant a position like that The results of scholarship and civil service examinations did not bear out that comparison at all. The Otago tcachcis did not expect to benefit by this scheme, but they desired a fair run. lie mentioned there matters for tho infoimation of members and to let people see what tho grading scheme meant so lar as our teachers were concerned Mr Mitchell suggested that the matter ehould be allowed to stand o\er till tho next meeting, when the new board would be in office, lie had gone into this matter thoroughly, and was absolutely certain that very serous injustice had been done not only to Otago teachers as a body, but as between Otago teachers themselves Injustice had been done as between the educational districts. He could name one teacher that the Otago Board was thankful to see tho la.st of. but now ho stood almost 1000 places above a good man no\»* in tho service of the board. The principle on which it was done pu??led the wit of man. The board should viiit till it got a direct e\pression of opin'on fiom the. teachers, and then it should go to the department and demand an investigation The proposal to defer the matU r was adopted.