UNEMPLOYED TEACHERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXV, Issue 18939, 27 July 1931, Page 3

UNEMPLOYED TEACHERS.

QUESTION OF GRADING MARKS. The Education Department has under consideration, and will shortly submit to Education Boards, a scheme for the awarding of grading marks to all ex-students who have been unemployed throughout this year. Training College students who ha”e applied for positions this years and not been able to secure them have not only suffered loss of salary and had to keep their superannuation payments alive while out of work, but have also lo9t grading marks, in that way having their chances of obtaining future positions prejudiced. Representations have been made to the Departmen by bdth the Auckland and the Canterbury Boards. One suggestion was that teachers might be allowed to attend schools, to observe teaching methods and keep in touch generally with their work, and be allowed grading- marks for doing so. It was stated that many teachers wished to keep in touch with school work so that they would not deteriorate while they were unemployed, and that if they did so they should be rewarded with grading marks. The Department has replied that the position of ex-college students who have not been able to secure permanent employment has caused it much concern. Various schemes for alleviating the position have been investigated, but the pressure of the financial stringency has made it difficult to bring any proposal to fruition. “There can be no objection to exstudents being admitted to schools to observe teaching methods, but such attendance cannot entitle them to grading marks,” the Department’s letter says. The Department has under consideration a scheme, which it will submit to boards, for the awarding of I grading marks to all ex-students who I have been unemployed throughout the year.” With this end in view, boards have been asked to obtain from head masters comprehensive reports of all teachers temporarily employed during the year, for submission to the senior inspector at the end of the year for grading purposes. Boards are to supply further, after November 30, the names of all ex-stu-dents who have not had permanent positions on that date. The return is to show which of the teaeKers has voluntarily relinquished or been forced to relinquish a permanent position and which of the teachers has been temporarily employed during the year.