EDUCATION CONTROL.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 May 1924, Page 5

EDUCATION CONTROL.

THE PLACE OF WOMEN.

INTELLIGENT AND PRACTICAL.

The characteristics of men and women as teachers were lightly touched upon by the Director of Education, Mr. J. Caughley, in a brief address to the women teachers’ conference conversazione.

A good deal was being heard, said Mr. Caughley, of Government by talk. Women teachers were more an exception to the rule of talk than men. They were intensely practical, and their subjects at their conference dealt closely with the work upon which they were engaged. The Minister for Education, the Hon. C. J. Parr, joined in the discussion at a later stage. Two-thirds of the teachers of the primary schools, he said, were women. A larger proportion of women than men were on the teaching staff of the high schools. Three-fourths of the trainees were girls. In New Zealand girls found the work of teaching more congenial than in other countries.

Speaking relatively of the 6000 pupils submitted to the recent intelligence tests, Mr. Parr said that 1250 girls indicated a preference for teaching as a career. It was lamentable, but only 240 boys desired to become teachers. He would like to see more women on the education boards. The Government had started an experiment by appointing women as State nominees on high school boards. It was not altogether ; favourably viewed by some of the men, 1 but he was afraid he could not help that. |He was going on with it. If there was a j woman of maturity, experience and judg- • ment available and willing to take the I post, why should she not be appointed? He did not know why the University Col- . lege Council should not have a woman on I the board. It was very probable that one I of the Government nominees on the board in the future wuold be a woman. “It has been my aim,” continued Mr. Parr, “to improve the status and remuneration of women teachers. I hold the view that the infant mistress o'f the elementary school is no less important as an officer than the headmaster. The first impressions of school are got from her, and her influence in that susceptible period moulds the moral and mental attitude of children toward school.”