COUNCIL OF EDUCATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19204, 21 June 1924, Page 16

COUNCIL OF EDUCATION.

EQUAL RIGHTS FOR FEMALE TEACHERS. DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOLS. SALARIES OF ASSISTANT TEACHERS. (Faoii Olmi Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON. Juno 20. i)ito of I lie* matters dealt with hy tho Council of Education at ils recent, sittings was the practice cf some boards to advertise for male head teachers only for schools of grade throe and upwards. Miss Chaplin, of Christchurch, brought forward a motion—‘That such positions should bo open (o women as well as lo men teachers, and that (he most efficient applicant, as .shown by tho grading list, should get the position.” Considerable objection was raised to Ihe proposal, mainly from the Education Board, which urged that there should be permitted a reasonable flexibility in regard to the appointments lo such schools. In some cases il might be thought necessary lo have a. male teacher for the proper supervision of flic boys. Generally speaking, however, the opinion of the council seemed to bo that in causes whore there wore women applicants of outstanding ability and personality they should be chosen in preference lo lower graded men teachers. Miss Chaplin's motion was agreed to. Two motions wore brought up by the —on. D, T. Fleming. One was in regard lo (ho revocation of sub-clause 3 of clause 9 in Ihe regulations of January 14 last. The effect of the sub-clause is that the salaries of assistant teachers in Ihe primary department of district high schools shall be the same as in a school of tho same grade as tho primary department. Until recently tho salaries of the staff have been graded by colliding tho high school attendance as part of the attendance of the school. Tho departmental view was that the teachers of the primary department of a district high school had no responsibility in regard to tho high school or any extra work in connection therewith, and that therefore they should not get the higher salary merely because they happened to pet a position on tho staff in the primary department of a district high school. Moreover, if they were given the extra salary, (hey would perhaps be disposed to stay in tho position instead of leaving it lo take np higher grade Work in a country school. In face of the explanation the motion was allowed to lapse. On the motion of Mr Fleming. it was decided to recommend that district high school committees should receive a more generous allowance than they get at present for secondary pupils, through such pupils being now rated merely as pupils of a primary school. It was pointed out that a school of 600 pupils, including 112 secondary pupils, received £lB7 10s incidental allowance, whereas if the secondary pupils were in a high school the amount would be £2SO. It. was decided to recommend (hat the allowance bo increased from 11s to 255. The council also agreed to recommend that there should bo a more generous allowance to primary school committees for incidental expenses. The suggestion is that 10 per cent, bo added to tho capitation, its allocation to bo at tho discretion of boards to meet cases of hardship in back-blocks schools.