TEACHING STAFFS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17105, 10 September 1917, Page 7

TEACHING STAFFS

A gKKJOCTB DEPI^KHOM. gHOOU) ENLISTMENT BE CXDNTINUED! Tho Minister of Education (Hon. J. A. Hanan), in referring to the patriotism shown by school teachers in enlisting for active service, (strongly stresses the difficulties in regard to carrying on school work satisfactorily hi eopsequnnce of the serious depletion of the teaching ranks. In his annual report && Minister makes the following comment* on tho subject:—■ " Because the schools all appear to be going on as neaal, few people realise the great drain made by the war on our teaching staffs. Dp to the present fully 660 primary school teachers have gone on active service. Tins is over one-third of the number of men teachers employed when war broke oat The remainder consists almost entirely of men of the Second! Division, youths under 20 years of age, and men who have enlisted but have been rejected as medically unfit In fact, it would be difficult to find a score of phyffloaUy fit men teachers of the First Division who did not enlist. Secondary school and! technical school teachers have an equally proud record while four school inspectors, a trammg ooDege principal, and two professors have also enlisted. K'w lftfle to be wondered at that tho boys who have; been taught and influenced in oar schools by teachers with such evident devotion to then; country should follow the example of then* teaoherj and oondwt themselves both on and off the field in a.way that wins for them our love aid admiration. To show in a definite way how the depletion of oar staffs through enlistment has affected the schools, H may be stated that in most of oar largest schools where there are to be found from 200 to 400 boys, there is only to bo found one male class teaener, and verv few have more than two. In one purely boys' school set. assistants out of £ven are women. , .The thanks of the parents of the dom-mon are due to the We number of ex-teachers, some of them who have coma back to tho schools to keep the work gomg.