BACKBLOOKS SCHOOLS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17974, 29 June 1920, Page 5

BACKBLOOKS SCHOOLS

SCARCITY OF TEACHERS.

NEW SCHEME IN HAND,

(Fbom Odk Own Correspondent.)

„, WELLINGTON, June 28. The difficulty of staffing back-blocks' schools has been exercising the mind of the Minister of Education for some time. The lioaixi of Education has repeatedly stated that it has been unable to find teachers for the small aided schools far removed from towns and from civilisation. At present the teachers are paid by a system of caoitation at- the rate of £1 per head for each pupil at each settlement, and in addition the settlers aro required to provide board fettle teacher. This applies to schools with from eight to 14 pupils in districts where settlement is not sufficiently permanent for it to be wise to erect schools. Teachers will not go to these places if they can find anything better. Mr Parr stated to-day that the Government felt strongly that the settlers wlra wont out into the wilderness wore deserving of special treatment in tTie way of education for their children To I meet the difficulty the idea was entertained of establishing' hostels in places such as Te iiuiti for back-countrv children. A matron would bo in charge, and the- children could spend from eight to 10 months at the hostel attending a hrst-class school. During this time they would thus receive a much better education than at a small aided school ihere were objections to this -course, however. Parents probably would not care to lose touch with children of from eight to 10 years of age for so many months. Home was the boss place for children. Conse-. quently, since the Government had resolved to give some extra assistance to the boards in the matter of back-blocks education, the Minister had asked the officers of his department to report on the question of providing a special relieving service of, say, half a dozen teachers ior the back-blocks districts. It would be necessary to give these men fairly good salaries, probably bettor than they could get in tho cities ordinarily under their grading. They would be available wherever there was a danger of a school closing, as many were at the present time, owing to the want of teachers. They would go out and take over the work for six. or eight months pending tho appointment of permanent teachers; consequently it would bo possible to keep the schools ope,'i and the children taught. The teachers would not bo obliged to remain in the special service for more than one year. Something of the kind would be much less expensive than taking the children from back districts and keeping them at hostels largely at the expense of tho Government, for the parents probably would not b© able to contribute much. From this, concluded Mr Parr, it might bo gathered that the Government was keen to compensate, so far as was possible, the back-blocks settlers for their enterprise in going out to open up new country.