GRADING OF TEACHERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11756, 21 July 1916, Page 2

GRADING OF TEACHERS.

AN OTAGO COMPLAINT. [Fbom Ocr Correspond***.] DUNEDIN, July 20. The teachers of Otago axe up inarms over what they consider- inconsistencies and inequalities in the grading system. At the meeting of the Education Board to-day, the chairman (Sir D. T. Fleming) made a statement on the matter. Ho said that they were not greatly concerned with the grading scheme, except to see that no teachers suffered injustice. He mentioned that the marks awarded automatically quite swamped tho marks awarded by the inspector. He thought that unfair. There are approximately 8575 teachers in the graded lists, divided into 111 sections of graded numbers, each including from one up to fifty or moro teachers of equal grading. In the first forty-seven sections there wero 527 teachers. In the four highest sections, comprising ten teachers, Auck-

land and Nelson have each one in the" highest. Auckland has one in the cond, and North Canterbury, Nelson' and South Canterbury one each in the third, and Otago did not show- up until coming to the fourth section, and. then it had only one teacher there. In the highest 410 teachers there were thirty-four females. Auckland had thirteen and Otago only two. The mrcentage in the first 527 in the graded list was as . follows:—Auckland 28, North Canterbury 14, Otago 12.5, Wellington 12.1, Wangarrai • 9.8. Hawke's Bay 6.2, Southland 0.6, South Canterbury 3.4, Taranaki 2.4 .Nelson 2 Marlborough 1.5, Westland .9, Grey 5 There was also this extraordinary fact that in the North and South Canterbury schools of over 400' attendances the average place of head teachers in the grading list was 30, ■whereas in Otago the average place ot tlie similar head, teachers was .only. <o. Could anyone say that the Otago teachers were so.far behind as to warrant that grading? *.«at,o returns and the scholarship and Civil Service examinations did not dolose such weakness on the part of Otago teachers. It was resolved to consider the matter at the next meeting of the board.