The Teachers’ Salaries Commission.

Temuka Leader, Issue 3745, 28 May 1901, Page 3

The Teachers’ Salaries Commission.

The Teachers’ Salaries Commission commeiiced its sitting in Timam yesterday morning. • , , A letter was read from the Grey branch of the Teachers’ Institute, covering a resolution approving of the scale prepared by Mr Hogben. , Mr A. Bell (assistant secretary to the Board of Education) was the first witness, Major Bamfiold, the secretary, being absent, in his evidence ho showed that the second scale prepared by Mr Hogben does not differ greatly from the staffing m feouth Canterbury. The proposal to pay ft cap) ■ tation of £o to small schools is in operation here in small schools up to 13 ; then £4 tor each addition up to 21. On the whole, the second proposal is more liberal in salaries than the existing scale here, but the certificates required are higher. The 6b head teachers would gain £1258 10s 7d, aftei deducting penalties for lower certificates; ~8 infant mistresses would gain £616 2s ; and 19 assistants (adding four more as provided by the scale), £636 IGs; total £2BOO, including pupil teachers. The administration fund of the Board would bo slightly increased under the proposed sc eaio o lls 3d per bead plus £250. He considered £BO ner annum little enough tor a female' teacher who had to live away from home. In small schools female teachers do quite as good work as males. There was uot much to complain of with regard to the disinclination of boys to become pupil teachers. The incidental allowances to Committees were not sufficient for their requirements. The am°un ranges from 3s to large schools to 8= bd tor small ones. The adoption ot the scale would be beneficial in this district, salaries should not suffer through loss of attendance through epidemics; there should be a different scale for reckoning increases and decreases of salaries. Tim School Committees complain of insufficiency of tunds If the committees had adequate funds the teachers would not get up the entertainments they now do, as they interfere with the work of the school. Mr W. B. Howell, chairman of the Board of Education, said that the incidental allowances to committees were not quite adequate, and he thought it a paltry way of carrying on a national system that urn committees should have to hold entertainments to provide funds To Mr Davidson he said ho was in favor of a national system of education, and looked upon the present system of carrying it on as patclv work He favored a national scale of salaries. Ho strongly disapproved ot raising funds by means of entertainments. To Mr Hill Mr Howell said the board mid not many differences with committees. As to giving committees more power, he aid nolT see where it could be given them; in the selection of teachers, the board with their inspectors have the better information. Did not think that the P 0 ''’® I'® 1 '® ot boards need be enlarged, nor should they be curtailed. Would uot prefer a colonm scale of promotions; thought the local knowledge would be better than an official scale. To Mr Hogben the witness said the provision in his scheme for incidentals would only give the South Canterbury Board an additional £SO. '1 bought there should be some allowance during sickness. His board does that, and provides a locum teuens. There should be a fund foi pajmg relieving teachers in such cases, (Mr Hogben said this had been omitted from his scheme). To the chairman ; Iho teachers as a whole were not sufficiently paid, especially Che smaller ones, those over .£2OO have not so much to complain ot. The Rev. G. Barclay pointed out that there did uot appear to be any provision made for the additional staff required at District High Schools —(Mr Stewart and Mr Hogben said these were separately dealt with.)—Mr Barclay said ha had not been able to make the proposed provision square with the requirements. There should be a Seventh Standard instituted, with a syllabus including possibly some secondary subjects, but certainly _ some manual and technical instruction suited to the different districts. Probably a large proportion of the 5000 children who remain in school after passing Standard VI. would remain longer to take advantage of it. Hu spoke of the need for increasing the radius ot compulsory attendance beyond two miles, and of increasing the penalty for successive violations of the law. The number ot compulsory attendances per week, instead of six out of niue, should be eight out ot ten. The grant of Is 6d per head for scholarships should be increased, so that scholars could be sene to special schools. To Mr Mackenzie Mr Barclay said he approved of the colonial scale. Salaries should be paid on tho average. To Mr Gilfodder Mr Barclay said he would not favour the amalgamation of the South Canterbury district with North Canterbury. The South Canterbury Board had changed its scale several times, owing to the changes made bv the Goveenment in the amount of the annual grants. It was a matter of necessity to alter tho scales, and equally so to reduce the salaries, for the same reason. A colonial scale may have more stability, but it depended on the stability of the Department and the Government. He thought training schools should be subsidised bv the Government, Would not object to'a superannuation scheme if the Government could find the money; would prefer the teachers to contribute. The allowances to committees are much too small. Mr Gow, Chief Inspector, said he had very little reason to be otherwise than satisfied with the proposed scale. There were only 14 schools out of 00 that paid their way,‘and most of those had very little over after paying salaries and expenses. In consequence, the district had a bad mime elsewhere for low salaries. He next referred to tbe scale of certificates required. He hoped that the scale of certificates would not be made a hard and fast rulo, as applied to teachers already in employment. It would be well to tell young teachers that they must gain these certificates, but those who had been in the service a long time with lower certificates should receive consideration. One of tho best infant mistresses in tho colony only has a certificate of El. Was pleased that the scale proposed that the first assistant appointed should be an infant mistress, and that this and the next addition to the staff were almost in accordance with this Board’s present scale. To get the full advantage of the staffs, there should in many schools be two rooms whore there is only one. In the majority of schools there were two teachers in one room. The proportion of certificated to pupil-teachers proposed by the scale was very nearly thatobtained here; the proportion of certificated teachers was rather higher. The proportion of adults to pupil-teachers was 4.5 or 4.6 to one. There were 11 male and 13 female teachers nowemployed. There was a sufficient supply of male applicants for pupil teacherships. If more applied they could not be employed when out of their time. He regretted that provision was not made for special payment for the special work of instructing pupil teachers This board pays for this, and gives a bonus for passes. He wished to see provision made for assisting pupil teachers to go to some central training college. The teachers of Standards 4,5, and 6 should be males. At Timam, Waimate, and Temuka male assistants of lower positions had had to be taken up by the head masters to teach the upper standards. Ho wished to refer to District High Schools, but the chairman said these were outside the scope of tho commission. They were separately dealt with. Mr Gow said that the provision made was not sufficient, The District High Schools in this district could not ho carried on with the grant proposed. Mr Gow said that elsewhere it had been said that the districts where the higher salaries are paid attract all the best teachers. He wished to say that the teachers of the larger schools in this district would compare very favorably with those lie knew in other districts. (Applause).