EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1989, 7 April 1892, Page 15

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

A meeting of the Dunedin branch of the Otago Educational Institute was held at the Normal School on Saturday, when there were present — Messrs Rennie (in the chair), Chilton, Davidson, Milne, J. Reid, White, Whetter, Eudey, Moore, Mahoney, N. Don, Balsille, Smith, M'Nickle, Stewart, and Pirie (secretary). Mr Mark Cohen wrote forwarding the New South Wales Education Report for 1889 and two publications of the United States Education Bureau. — The donation was received with thanks.

THE CLASSIFICATION, APPOINTMENT, AND PAYMENT OF TEACHERS.

Mr W. Davidson read a paper on "The Classification, Appointment, and Payment of Teachers," from which we make the following extracts : —

In every national system of education we find a scheme for the " classification of teachers," and we find, too, that these schemes, although differing in detail, all aim at the same object — that is, the classifying and grading of the whole body of teachers in a country according to teaching ability and literary attainments. Here again, then, we find a feature common to all systems. As to " the appointment of teachers." Of course, in every country in which a national system obtains we find some method by which teachers are appointed or promoted. There is certainly not that uniformity which we find in the plans for the classification of teachers. This, however, may be said : that whatever method is adopted, it is general in its application and embraces the whole body of teachers under that particular system. Then, coming to the payment of teachers. Surely, if it bo admitted that in every national system of education there should be a uniform method for the classification and appointment of teachers, no one will deny that there should be a national scale for the payment of teachers. What I contend, then, is that no national system of education is complete without (1) Proper provision for the training of teachers ; (2) A system of classification by which all public school teachers are properly classified and graded ; (3) A uniform method for the appointment of teachers, whereby a teacher may know that appointments or promotions are made according to merit; (4) A national scale for the payment of teachers. Now does our New Zealand system fulfil these conditions ? Is it worthy the name of a national system ? With the training of teachers this paper has nothing to do. I simply contend that proper provision for the training of teachers is a feature common to all national systems of education, and the want of such provision is a blot on our system. . Our classification scheme has the merit or being general in its application, embracing, as it does, the whole body of public school teachers in the colony. I have compared our system with those of other countries, more particularly with those of New South Wales ana Victoria, and have come to the conclusion that a very great amount of care and skill has been exercised in the framing of our regulations, and that due weight has been given to literary attainments, teaching ability, and service.

These regulations seem plain enough ; but, in spite of their clearness, we find men who think they know a great deal about our education system stating that a teacher by the possession of a university degree can get division or grade one in his class. It should be generally known that, in addition to all the education it is possible to acquire, a man must have 14 years or more actual teaching experience, and must also obtain the highest possible efficiency marks f rom an inspector to be placed in division 1 of any class. Comparing our classification system with those of New South Wales and Victoria, I find each of them has a regulation which ours has not. The revised regulations in New South Wales, issued Ist July 1891, contain the following :— " The classification of any teacher in the school service shall be liable to reduction or can3ellation for inefficiency, gross neglect of duty, or serious misconduct on the part of the person holding such classification."

Section 78 of " The Victorian Public Service Act 1890," says :— " The classifiers shall, at the end of each triennial period, revise the classified roll, and for the purposes of such revision, the classifiers shall have placed before them the records of the Education department with respect to each teacher during such triennial period, and shall record any changes in classification which have occurred since the last revision, and shall rearrange the sub-classes in each class, and may, if they think fit and proper so to do, place any teacher in a higher or lower sub-class in his class, or record him far reduction to a lower class."

The want of such a regulation in connection with our system is hardly, I think, to be regretted, considering our present arrangements for the appointment and promotion of teachers ; but if we are to have a uniform system for the appointment and promotion of teachers, such a regulation will be necessary. Perhaps the weakest spot in our system is the present method (or rather want of method) in appointing and promoting teachers. The act states plainly (clause 45)—" The board of each district shall be entitled to appoint teachers for every school under its control or to remove teachers from one school to any other school within the district." Then, after giving the necessary qualifications for various positions, we find, stuck in at the end of the clause, " Provided that the committee may recommend teachers to the board for appointment, and may also recommend the suspension or dismissal of any such teacher; but (and here comes the trouble) no appointment, suspension, or dismissal shall take place until the committee have been consulted." Nobody lias yet been able to give the exact meaning of consulted here. We have 13 education boards, and each of these boards may put any interpretation it pleases on this beautiful (?) word. What is the consequence ? Instead of the boards making the appointments, they seem to have allowed that very important duty to drift into the hands of our 1200 school committees. There is nothing very national about that way of doing things. It is not even provincial. It is something worse than parishy. To find out what methods the different boards adopt is no easy matter. Very few of them have any regulations bearing on the appointment of teachers. However, we know how things are managed .in Otago, and we can imagine what is done in other districts. Let us just consider, then, how we manage things :— Our regulations read;— (l) "Pr eparatory t°. tb.9

appointment of a teacher, the board shall make a selection from the candidates for such appointment. (2) The board shall consult ~the school committee, by forwarding to them for consideration, the names of the candidates selected, together with copies of all certificates and testimonials submitted by the candidates, and by inviting the committee to recommend one of the said candidates for the appointment." I do not know to what extent the board exercises its right of selection, but it frequently happens that as many as 10, 15, 20, and sometimes even 30 names of candidates, together with copies of certificates and testimonials, are forwarded to committees for their consideration.

Now, is it to be supposed for one moment that the members of school committees are educational experts, and that they go carefully through these bundles of certificates and testimonials, giving due weight to such claims as literary attainment, teaching skill, length of service, past records, and personal character, and that appointments are made according to merit. No, a very large majority of our 8-100 school committeemen are incapable of foiming an accurate judgment on such matters, and have neither the time nor the inclination to wade through such a mass of papers. It follows, then, that in very many cases appointments aro secured by the log-rolling, wire-pulling, and button-holing done by the candidates and their friends. The man or woman having the greatest claim on a position is frequently pushed aside by a good canvasser. . . . It is an easy matter to find faults ; but can a remedy be suggested ? What has been done elsewhere ? In New South Wales there are 10 classes of schools. A certain qualification is necessary for each respective class. Teachers are appointed, promoted, or removed on due consideration of their claims and merits.

In Victoria, previous to 1883, appointments were made in a " go-as-you-please " kind of way. Political patronage in its worst form was rampant. It was said that some hundreds of political appointments had been made by one Minister of Education.

This state of affairs was put an end to by the appointment of a committee of classification, consisting of the inspector-general of schools, a State school teacher elected by the certificated teachers in State schools, and some one other fit and proper person not being an ollicer, appointed in that behalf by the Governor-in-Council. Schools were divided into five classes, certain qualifications were necessary for each class. " In the case of certificated teachers who, on the passing of ' The Public Service Act 1883,' were 30 years of age and upwards, and who had been then employed for 10 years, and who, in the opinion of the classifiers had exhibited special ability, the certificate required for promotion to any class might be dispensed with. There are other regulations to prevent injustice being done to teachers a considerable time in the service previous to 1883 ; but 1 have neither time nor space to quote them here.

It is very evident, however, that it is only a matter of time when (in Victoria) the best positions will 'be held by men possessing the greatest teaching ability combined with the highest literary attainments, a state of things that should exist in a perfect system of education. ... I should like to see a modified form of the Victorian system tried by our board. It should be a system whereby a teacher of very great and striking ability should have an opportunity of rising to an important position while he was full of bodily and mental vigour, instead of remaining in the lowest ranks until he was past his best.

I think the following plan fulfils these conditions :—: — (1) The board to set up an appointments committee, consisting of the chief inspector, a public school teacher (elected by the classified teachers of the school district), and a member of the board (elected by the members of the board). (2) All vacancies to be advertised as at present. (3) The names of all candidates, together wtih certificates, testimonials, and all necessary „ information respecting them, to be placed in the hands of the appointments committee, (4) Such committee to select one candidate to fill each advertised vacancy. (5) The name of the selected candidate for each position, together with the names of all the

other applicants, to be brought before the board, and each selection approved of. (6) School committees to be consulted by the board's forwarding to them a list of the names of all the applicants for a position, with an intimation that it is the intention of the board to appoint the candidate selected by the Appointment Committee, unless good and sufficient reason be shown why such appointment should not be made. The great majority of teacheis would, I am sure, be delighted to know that the days of button-holing, log-rolling, and wire-pulling, the days when applicants had to trot round the country showing their paces, and carrying bundles of certificates and testimonials, had come to an end. They would know that a committee of experts (one of whom had been elected by themselves) had carefully considered the claims of each candidate for a position, and had given due weight to such matters as general conduct, proved teaching and organising ability, literary qualifications, length of service, &c, and that positions would be given to those most deserving of them. After such a sifting, the general public should be satisfied that an honest attempt had been made to do justice to all parties.

AU candidates not in the service of the Otago Board should be required to furnish certain information, and if any such candidate should be considered to have greater claims than any Otago applicant, he or she should be selected. Every means should be taken to make our system national.

I can only just touch on what is perhaps the most important part of my subject, " The Payment of Teachers. '

The adoption of a uniform scale of payment by the education boards of the colony is, I am aware, surrounded by very great difficulties indeed ; but these difficulties arc not insurmountable, and the shocking injustice of -the present state of affairs calls aloud for redress. Eventually something will have to be done, The following table is interesting as showing the great disparity in the salaries of teachers paid under different hoards, I have chosen a small school with an average attendance of between 30 and 40, but any class of school will show like differences.

Why should a man in Taranaki, teaching 37 children, receive the miserable pittance of LlO7 a year, while his next door neighbour, who teaches 35 pupils, because he happens to be in the Auckland district, has L 135 ; and the nftin on the other side of him, because he happens to be in Wanganui, gets Ll4O 10s.

In Wellington, again, we find a man teaching 33 children receives L 155 a-year ; while his poor brother teacher across Cook Strait, in Nelson, with 35 to teach, gets the handsome income of LIOO. In South Canterbury we find a school with average 3fS and salary L 13 6; while on the other side of the Waitaki a similar school carries a salary of L 163. The same disparity may be seen in the salaries paid to assistant teachers under the different boards. We find in Auckland and other districts highly educated women receiving LSO a-year. Why, the average domestic servant is a great deal better off. . . . "How can this state of affairs be altered?" I cannot go into details, but I may just mention one or two points J have th.ough.t of <— (1) There should be a unjform scale of staff for a}l districts, In this matter the best is everywhere the best.

(2) Schools and appointments should be divided into a certain number of classes, with a fixed salary for each class. The scale of salary, like the scale of staff, should bo uniform. (3) All schools with an average of under 20 to be unclassified schools, and to be granted the Government capitation allowance only. (The Otago Board does this at present.) "What about the small districts?" you say. Well, I should wipe them out, and try to strike tho happy medium between centralisation and our present parishy system. I should divide the colony into four school districts— two in the North Island and two in the South. Auckland and Taranaki would form one district, with a roll number of 25.005; Wanganui, Wellington, and Hawke's Bay would have 24,403. Pretty evenly balanced, you see. The different classes of schools would balance nicely too. In the South Island, Marlborough, Nelson, Grey, Westland, and North Canterbury would have 32,457 enrolled, and the other district formed by uniting South Canterbury, Otago, and Southland would show an enrolment of 36,044. This, again, is a pretty fair division ; and, considering the very large schools in Christchnrch, the classesof schools would be well balanced By classifying schools and appointments, dividing the colony into four districts as I suggested, and using the Otago Board's scale of staff, I believe it would be possible to have a uniform scale of payment equal to that at present obtaining in Otago. . . . A discussion followed the reading of the paper, tho members taking part therein being Messrs Mahonoy, Whetter, Smith, Balsille, Moore, Milne, White, Chilton, Reid, and Rennie. A hearty vote of thanks was subsequently accorded to Mr Davidson for his contribution.

Average. Auckland 35 I'aranaki 37 Wanganui ... 35 Wellington ... 33 Hawkers Bay ... 33 Marlhorough ... 37 Nelson 35 Sreymouth ... 30 Westland 31 N. Canterbury ... 35 •5. Canteibury ... 36 Dtago 36 Southland 34 Salary of Blaster. £135 0 0 107 0 0 140 10 0 155 0 0 139 10 0 120 0 0 100 0 0 125 0 0 123 0 0 150 0 0 136 0 0 163 0 0 139 0 0 Class, D 3 D 3 E2 El E4 E2 D 2 D 3 D 4 ,D 3 D 3 E3