E—2

total amount approved for refresher courses, inclusive of those for primary teachers, was £3,200, an increase of £1,200 upon the amount available for 1946. I regard these refresher courses as being a valuable addition to teacher-training. (8) Consultative Committee on Teachers' Salaries A considerable increase in the salaries of post-primary teachers became effective on the Ist February, 1944, but the recommendations of the Consultative Committee on Teachers' Salaries set up during this year made for further increases. These recommendations, as is now well known, were adopted by the Government and most, if not all, teachers have already received the payments due to them on account of these increases, which operated as from Ist April, 1946. Under the previous arrangement the salary of a post-primary teacher was made up of a salary on a basic scale, a possible grading increment, a possible married allowance, and, in the case of those teachers who held Grade V positions or positions as first assistants, senior assistant mistresses, or heads of departments, a further allowance on this account. There was very little change in the general basis of payment of post-primary teachers as a result of the recommendations of the Committee, although married allowance is now incorporated in salary. The main change was a general increase in the amounts payable under the basic scale, as a grading increment, or as a position salary, as the case might be. Post-primary teachers were generally very well satisfied with the provisions made under the recommendations of the Salaries Committee, and the profession as a whole is in a much better financial position than previously. It is anticipated that these increases will assist materially in securing an adequate supply of capable teachers for the post-primary service.

The following table shows the maxima for married men and for women teachers in each grade under the old and new system :

The allowances for heads of departments, first assistants, and senior assistant mistresses are also increased from £3O per annum to £6O per annum, and the possibility of increasing this allowance in special cases to £BO is provided for in the draft regulations. (9) Secondary Departments of Districts High Schools Reference has already been made to the bringing of the secondary departments of district high schools into the normal post-primary field for purposes of staffing, salaries, and grading of teachers. This naturally necessitates more frequent visits to the secondary departments of district high schools on the part of the post-primary inspectorate. For some years now Inspectors of Secondary Schools have been visiting secondary departments once in every three years in an advisory capacity in order to assist teachers in the secondary departments in the various problems confronting them. As a result of the -increase in the post-primary inspectorate it will now be possible to make these visits much more frequently, and although nothing could be done in this direction in 1946, a programme of work has already been mapped out for 1947 making for a visit to every one of the 103 district high schools in the Dominion in the early part of 1947 in order that, at this first visit, provisional classifications of the teachers might be confirmed

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Men. Woman. Grade. Old Scale. New Scale. Old Scale. New Scale. £ £ • £ £ I 483 490 363 390 II 538 550 415 440 III 598 610 457 490 IV 648 680 497 540 V 698 740 542 600