SAFEGUARDED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 November 1941, Page 7

SAFEGUARDED

POSITION OF TEACHERS SERVING IN ARMED FORCES. STATEMENT BY MINISTER. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The position of teachers serving in the armed forces is safeguarded by the Teachers' Emergency Regulations, 1941. which were gazetted on Thursday. An explanation of the section dealing with teachers who hqve gone to the war was given by the Minister of Education, Mr Mason, in an interview last evening. He said there was provision for the war vacancies so created being filled during the absence of the teachers concerned. The teacher filling the vacancy would receive the same appointment as that held by the teacher whose position he was temporarily occupying, and the conditions as to service would bo substantially similar to those of the absent teacher, with the exception that he must vacate the position when the teacher concerned returned from the war.

The provision applied to teachers permanently engaged ■ in any school under the control of an education board, teachers permanently engaged in any secondary, technical or combined school, teachers permanently engaged at manual-training centres or as itinerant agricultural instructors. The regulations might be applied not merely in respect of teachers who performed actual miliary service, but to one engaged in work deemed by the Minister, to be essential in the prosecution of the war. The absent teacher had the right to leave of absence for the purpose of discharging military duties, which was another way of stating that his rights and privileges were preserved. There were detailed provisions as to the right to apply for war vacancies, but in general they were very similar to the provisions relating to applications for permanent appointments.

To meet the case of training college students and probationary assistants provision is made in the regulations for the relaxation of certain conditions. If there is only a short period of training as a teacher to be undergone when a man is called up for service the necessity for serving that short period may be waived on the recommendation of the principal of the training college, and if a more substantial period has still to be served the serving of that period may be postponed till after the completion of the military service.