TEACHERS’INSTITUTE

Southland Times, Issue 18967, 14 June 1923, Page 7

TEACHERS’INSTITUTE

MONTHLY' MEETING. CONFERENCE DELEGATES’ REPORT. The monthly meeting of the Southland branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute was held last Saturday, the president, Mr C. N. Lawless, presiding over a very fair attendance of members. The delegates to the annual conference, which was held in Wellington from May 15 to May 24, presented their reports. Mr Lawless dealt with the work of the conference with reference to the grading of teachers. It has been felt for some time that it would be advisable to review the system of grading which has been in operation since 1916, and with that end in view the following resolution was passed at the annual meeting: “That the time is opportune for a review of the grading system with the object of improving same and to this end the Department be asked to set up a special committee composed of Departmental officers and nominees of the N.Z.E.I. for the purpose of conducting an inquiry into the system and its working,” Mr Lawless explained the Hylton salary scheme for New Zealand primary school teachers, which was investigated by a Recess Committee of the Wellington branch. After considering the scheme in detail the annual meeting affirmed the following resolution: “That the Recess Committee’s report on the Hylton Scheme be sent to the Department with a recommendation that that scheme or some similar scheme basing salary on efficiency, and not on average attendance, be adopted; and further that the Department, be requested not to bring into operation any new scheme until the N.Z. E.I. has had an opportunity to consider it.” The scheme is to come up for consideration at the next meeting of the Southland branch of the Institute to be held on June 23. Public school teachers who are employed as part-time teachers in Technical Schools are required to contribute to the superannuation fund on money earned as technical school teachers, and, as they feel that such contributions should be voluntary and not obligatory they are endeavouring to have the Superannuation Act amended to bring about the desired change. A Reccess Committee presented its report at the annual meeting on the constitution of the N.Z.E.I. The part of the constitution to which exception has been taken by many teachers is that which deals with the election of the executive. At present the executive is elected by the representatives of the branches at the annual meeting, and not by the direct vote of the teachers of New Zealand. The Recess Committee is “unanimously of opinion that the time has not yet arrived for provision being made for the election of the officers by the direct vote of the individual members.”

Mr D. D. Steadman detailed the work of the Otago Recess Committee on the teaching of history. The scheme recommended by the Committee provides a parallel between English and New Zealand history. By a graded sequence of themes opportunity is given for comparison and contrast between English history and New Zealand history. Thus the period of invasion and settlement in England might be compared and contrasted with the discovery and settlement of New Zealand. A step further might then be taken by the treatment in greater detail of the settlement of the pupils’ own province, district and town. At the Conference stress was laid on the fact that the aim of history should be to teach children to regard themselves as world citizens, and that no one nation can live unto itself. Delegates were of the opinion that on anti-war bias must be given to our history teaching, and that the central idea should be that “Peace hath her victories no less than war.”

At the annual meeting Mr Griffiths presented the report of the Southland Recess Committee on the teaching of arithmetic, and, after a very lengthy discussion, it was decided that the report ‘be referred to the branches for discussion of details, the finding of the branches to be sent to the Southland Committee by November 30 next for coordinations in a report to be presentefl to the next annual meeting.” The report called forth expressions of the wannest commendation and Mr Griffiths was eulogised for the great amount of research work which he put into the report. Mr Griffiths reported on the decision of the Conference with regard to the remits dealing with the syllabus and examinations. The remit from Southland recommending the setting up of a Committee to report on the teaching of spelling was adopted, and the subject is to be investigated by a committee of the Southland branch of the Institute. The Department was requested to sanction experiments in teaching reading with the spelling advocated by the Simplifier Spelling Society of London. The remit sent forward by Southland recommending a reform in the teaching of music was approved of after an interesting discussion in the course of which it was admitted that, in some schools the übject does not receive the attention it deserves. An Executive Recess Committee presented a report at the annual meeting on the condition and progress of the Institute’s official journal during the past year. National Education has been steadily increasing its circulation, and also its influence as an advocate of national progress in educatlou. The Committee was of opinion that the Institute’s journal should undertake a prominent advocacy of all social reforms affecting the interests and the education of the younger generation, and it was decided, on the recommendation of the Committee, to add the following plank to the platform of the N.Z.E.I.:—“No public question affecting the present condition or future advancement of society can be settled satisfactorily without consideration of the effect of that settlement upon the children of the nation.

Mr Jno. Lopdell gave a resume of the debate on the Bible in schools question. The secretary ‘of the N.Z.E.I. stated that Circulars had been sent out to the twentyseven branches of the Institute on the subject.. Five branches had replied favouring Bible-reading, eight had declared against it, and two answers received had neen of an indefinite nature. The motion before the annual meeting was, “That the scheme of Bible-reading in schools as propounded by the Conference of Christian Churches has the sympathy of the New Zealand Educational Institute.” Opinion was sharply dived on the question and the discussion was animated, and, at times, somewhat heated. It was stated in support of the movement that it was not the Bible that was to be introduced into the schools, but a textbook containing passages of scripture reading, approved by the denominations that are associated on this question, and afterwards approved by the Department. The opponents of the scheme stressed the fact that, although ministers of religion have under the present system the privilege of visiting schools for the purpose of giving religious instruction, very few avail themselves of the opportunity of doing so. On a vote being taken the motion was carried by 26 votes to 24. It should be pointed out that the question was not brought up till the dying hours of the conference, when several delegates had left for their homes.

The Auckland Recess Committee presented its report on the training of this type of child. It was explained that the term “nou-intellectual” included those children who are not likely to profit from the academic side four present school system much beyond standard 4, but who are sufficiently intelligent to benefit from a specialised or more elastic educational system in which manual or domestic training predominates. The Committee was of opinion that “help must be provided at once, or those children will be denied their rightful opportunities.” At present such children look upon school in the nature of a prison from which they seek to escape as soon as the law allows them. On leaving school they join the ranks of those engaged in “blind-alley” occupations. The girls as well as the boys require a specialised training as in the words of the Committee, “We do not want ignorant, ill-trained girls to

be the mothers of our children.” The following motion was adopted by the conference: “That the time has arrived when the interests of the non-intellectual type of children in our primary schools should receive special consideration with a view to such children receiving greater benefits from the primary schools and more adequate training for satisfactory future citizenship, the low status of those children in our schools indicating the most serious wastage under our present educational system.” Mr Jno. Lenihan congratulated the delegates on the reports which they had furnished. In commenting on the work of the Conference, he said it was to be deplored that the Recess Committee which dealt with the constitution of the N.Z.E.I. recommended that the present system of electing the Executive should be maintained. He contended that if the officers of the Institute were elected by a Dominion ballot of teachers it would have the effect of stimulating interest in the officers of the Institute. With regard to the proposal that the Institute, through its official organ, National Education, should take a prominent part in agitations for social reforms, he was of opinion that there was a danger that such a policy might lead to the formation of “parties” in the ranks of the profession. Mr D. D. Steadman, in replying to the remarks of Mr Lenihan on the method of electing the officers of the Institute, said that he considered the present system had justified itself and that he was strongly in favour of its retention. Mr Duncan Rae said the thanks of the teachers were due to the conference for its efforts on behalf of those returned soldier teachers, who had received no who had received no recompense for their services overseas as the younger returned men had. On the motion of Mr H. M. Feeley, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the delegates for their work at the annual conference, and for their lucid reports on its