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Pahiatua Herald, Volume II, Issue 145, 7 May 1894, Page 3

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[Correspondence is tnvited upon aU subjsets, but w* do not bold ourselves responsible /or du opinions of our correspondents.] PAHIATUA STATE SCHOOL. (To th* Editor). Bm,—“ Upon their own merits modest people ehonid be dumb, ” yet the statement alleged to have been made at the school enquiry the report of which appeared in yon i issue of Friday, is so misleading that it would be false modesty apon my own part to be silent. The statement made as to my classification ean be shown to be false by a perusal of the Gazette of June 20th, 1898, when it will be found that my elassifiaation is in the sth rank of teachers, which is farther from the the bottom than any pnpil teacher can attain to. In the same rank are D2, C 3, 84, and A 5. Mow, some years ago the Minister for Education promised that a teaeher of any number should be transferred to the same number iu any higher class be might have earned by passing the requisite examination. Under these circumstances a teacher classed E, has only to pass the necessary examination to become A., etc. The fact that I have not submitted myself to examination for a higher olass is no proof that 1 have not attainments for that class. All, having any knowledge of the matter, will agree that time must be given up for preparation, however simple the examination may be and however learned the candidate for it. I have felt that to sit for further examination meant giving up my work for a time and this I was unable to afford to do, nor indeed did it seem necessary, as the Education Board has not hitherto deemed my present classification, which I have held since 1887, a bar to promotion. Anyone studying the above mentioned Gazette will find much matter for thought. There are uo less than seven teachers in the same class (E) in charge of schools belonging to the Wellington Education Board, of nearly equal importance to this ; and the strongest point that I can urge to show that the Education Board does not considei my elassification as too low for a school like this, is that, within the last three months they have appointed a teacher of the same grade (El) to a school a little larger than this. As a ( further proof that the sth rank of teachers < El) can do good work, equal if not superior to those of a higher rank, upon both occasions that I have sent up pupils for Board Scholarships they have won against higher class teachers’ own children — and this without any cramming, when it is quite well known that private coaching is given to candidates as a rule. I base my letter upon your report of what took place at the meeting as it was not considered necessary that I should attend.—l am, Ao. Clement W. Lex.

THAT CARCASE!

(To the Editor.) Snt, —When “Prominent Citizen

haa the courtesy to take the publis into his confidence by disclosing hu identity I may then think it worth my while to combat his statements. In th* meantime, prominent citizen, adieu! 1 am, etc.,

Gbob3S Kidd.