Educational

Observer, Volume XI, Issue 707, 16 July 1892, Page 3

Educational

Communications on educational matters are invited from teachers and others interested in the work of elucation. These communications should he addressed to ' The Editor 'Educational Column, Observer Office.' It is sometimes interesting to read old documents. The following appears in the •Report of the Auckland Board of Education ' for 1875 :— ' The Board have noted with satisfaction, the formation of a Teachers' Association. The discussions of a body of practical teachers, devotiDg themselves to the consideration of practical questions in connection with the various systems of education — both for boys and girls — and of the new ideas constantly promulgated in Europe and in America, cannot fail to advance the cause of public instruction. They regret only that they have not the means to form a library of reference, which should serve to keep the province up to the level of the latest teachings of the greatest authorities on education. A library of this character ought to be established for the use of teachers and others as. soon as funds can be placed for the purpose at the Board's disposal. In no department of Government is greater progress being made than in trhe education of the people ; and no means should be neglected to enable the province to keep pace with other provinces and other countries in dealing with it.' Since this report was written, a teachers' library, containing, upwards of 1300 volumes, was formed, and additions have been made to it from time to time. It is to be regretted that this valuable library has for many years been almost useless to the main body of the teachers for want of a new catalogue, it being almost impossible to obtain copies of the old catalogue which was printed about 13 years ago. A committee of the Institute has taken the matter in hand, and are at present engaged in preparing a catalogue. When this is completed, it will be a great boon, especially to country teachers, who will receive the books and return them free from postage by sending them through the Board office. Further, it is not generally known that the use of the library is entirely free to all members of the Teachers' Institute; At the meeting of the Auckland Educational Institute, last Saturday, a letter of great interest to all teachers throughout the colony was received from the Taranaki Branch. The letter was as follows : — ' The Secretary, Educational Institute, Auckland.'— Dear Sir,— We ask the hearty co-operation of the teachers in your district in trying to secure what is asked for in the accompanying petition. We are in a deplorable state here in Taranaki, a state which, in our opinion, is a degradation to the whole teaching profession. You are no doubt aware that we have not sat looking on, but have at every opportunity and by every, legitimate means in our power tried to help ourselves. We have also successfully protected our teachers — whether they belong to the Institute or not— from" interference and insult, and by f this means have made ourselves a power in the district, and we hope to a smaller extent throughout the colony. But in the matter of salaries we are quite powerless, i and from the constitution of our Education Board, we have no hope whatever locally. We therefore again ask your sympathy and co-operation (a)' in getting the aoeompanying petition signed by all the teachers in your district, and (b) in securing the support of the members for your district. (Signed), Hector DESirdEi-.

-The following is the text of the petition:— .' '• •■■' ! •';'■•:■.' ' • To the Honourable House of Representatives of New Zealand, in Parliament assembled. • ' We, the, undersigned teachers in the province of , respectfully draw your attention to the following resolution passed, by the Educational Institute" of New Zealand, at Christehuroh, in January, 1 1892:— ■ . ' Resolved— That it is desirable that a more uniform scale of salaries throughout the colony should be adopted, and that such a scale be drawn up and brought into force by the Education Department. 'In support of this resolution we ask your earnest consideration of the inadequate salaries paid to teachers in some districts of the colony, salaries which' cause continual change of teachers and closing of schools, to the great detriment of the education of the district. ' We are convinced that such a state of things will, never be remedied locally; but we leave the matter in your hands, confidently hoping that, in the interest of- the Education system, as well as of the many teachers in different parts of the colony who are hardly able to gain a subsistence, you will give the matter your earnest and, we trust, yourfavourable consideration.' It is to be hoped that every teacher in the province will sign this petition. The inequalities m the salaries paid to teachers in different parts of the Colonies ha 3 long been a crying shame and will never be remedied unless the Department issues a scale of salaries according to which Education Boards must pay. - It is notorious that in some parts of the Colony the salaries have been quite ten per cent higher than in Auckland, whilst in some of the smaller districts the salaries have been so low. that many of our unfortunate brethren have had to struggle for a mere existence. The consequence has been very injurious to the smaller districts which have lost their best teachers. Why in the name of justice should these differences exist ? Is it not the same education system that we are ail helping to carry out? Is not the money all voted by Parliament? The teachers from one end of the colony to the -otherall derive their certificates from the' one source ; are all examined by the Central Department, and, what is more, are all engaged in teaching the same syllabus ! Who will then venture to say it is not just that there should be a uniform scale of salaries for the colony ? it is most important that those who are entrusted with the training of the young should have their minds free from care, but how is it possible for a man's mind to be free from care when he has an incessant struggle for subsistence from year's end to year's end ? Yet this is the chronic state of many teachers in the colony... What a bitter comment upon such a state of things is the fact that the Education Board of one district has a fixed deposit of thousands of pounds carried on from year to year, tiurely when Parliament votes annually a certain sum for education, Parliament means that it considers that that sum ought to be spent on education during the year ? Yet while this is being done in one part of the colony, in another part there are numbers of teachers striving manlully to do their duty— the sam 9 duty that we are doing— but with poverty staring them in the face always. Teachers will be rejoiced to hear that we are going to have a sociai gathering all of our own at last. Arrangements are being made for a conversazione and dance in the Choral Hall in adout a fortnight. It is some years since there has been such a gathering of the profession, and remembering what a brilliant success the last was, we have no douot that tbe hull will be crowded.