COUNTRY TEACHERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1920, Page 5

COUNTRY TEACHERS.

WORE TO BE MORE ATTRACTIVE. THE HOUSING DIFFICULTY. (By Wire.—Parliamentary Reporter. Wellington, Last Night. The difficulty experienced by Education Boards in staffing country schools wag mentioned in the House of Representatives bv Mr. R. Masters (Stratford). Mr. Masters quoted the following statement made by the inspectors of the Wellington Board: "We are finding the greatest difficulty in staffing our country schools, mainly owi<ig to the lack of decent accommodation for teachers, especially female teachers, while for. our junior city positions of from £l3O to £HO there are twenty to thirty certificated applicants. There is frequently not a single applicant for positions of from £l6O to £3OO, oven up to £240, in the country." Mr. Masters asked if the Minister for Education would make a special grant to Rducation Boards for the erection of moveable homes for teachers. All the. boards were having the same trouble in finding teachers for the country schools, and the sole remedy appeared to be the improvement of the housing facilities. The Minister for Education (Mr. Parr) replied that he realised that lack of housing was one- of the chief reasons why teachers did not care to go to country schools. The shortage of accommodation was not confined to the teachers, and it would be understood by the House that the Education Department could not possibly undertake to provide homes for all teachers. The proposal to erect small moveable cottages, which could be placfi* ivhere they were required, had much to commend it, and he agreed that the 'Department should assist financially in the provision of the houses. The Minister added that hundreds of teachers now working in the towns could get better money if they would go into the country. The country children Were suffering because they were taught by uncertificated and unqualified teachers, while better teachers clung to the towns. In the new scheme of salaries to be brought down in a week or two, he proposed to meet this difficulty by providing increased payments for the lower grade schools. Members would see when the scheme was presented that the, department had made an honest effort to Rtttwt t«a»heri_t£,ikj aeuatrjt i&Wli..