OTAGO TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19965, 6 December 1926, Page 15

OTAGO TEACHERS’ INSTITUTE

A meeting of the Committee of Management of the Otago Teachers’ Institute was held in the teachers’ club room on Saturday morning. The president (Mr T. R. W. Coutts) was in the chair. Mr W. G. Burns, secretary Tapanui sub-branch, who had been 'appointed head master of Timaru West School, forwarded his resignation as delegate to the committee. —The secretary was directed to forward a letter thanking Mr Burns for his services to the institute. A letter was received from the executive of the N.Z.E.I. asking for the nomination of teachers to sit on the Primary Schools’ Syllabus Revision Committee.—lt was decided to nominate Miss Sullivan, Mr Abel, and Mr Ironside. The Secretary read a letter from the secretary of the N.Z.E.I. concerning proposals regarding the synchronisation of school holidays throughout the Dominion. —A sub-committee consisting of Messrs Coutts, Woods, and Hawke was set up to consider the proposals and report to the next meeting. A dicussion took place on certain recommendations made by the conference, held early in the year, at which the Education Department, the education boards, the professors of education, principals of training colleges, and heads of normal schools were present. The committee decided:— (a) That before the N.Z.E.I. supported the recommendation of that conference to establish an additional training college it be urged to consider carefully the further question whether there was likely to be an over-production of teachers; (b) any specialised training that might be considered necessary could be best provided by the extension of the present college course to a third year; (c) that the committee absolutely opposed the allotment of any specialised course to any one college. It was decided to support the present system under which teacher members of the Grading Appeal Board were appointed —i.e. the branches to nominate suitable members, a final selection to be made by the executive, and the actual appointments to be made by the Director of Education.