§ 10 and 11. Lord NINIAN CRICHTON-STUARTasked the right hon. Gentleman (1) whether, in view of the fact that the acting teachers' examination has been made harder during each of the years 1907 to 1910, inclusive, he will explain why a person having passed the comparatively low standard in 1906 should be at a greater advantage for promotion to head teacher than one having passed the higher standard in 1910; and (2) whether Article 9 of the Code states that persons passing the acting teachers' examination in and after 1910 are not eligible for the post of head teacher; whether he is aware that this, if so, greatly handicaps a person in his competition with others; and, if so, whether he proposes to take any action in the matter?
Mr. PEASEThe article referred to was first inserted in the Code for 1909–10 for the improvement of the staffing in public elementary schools, foreshadowed in Circular 709. I think that, a distinction between teachers who have and have not received a college training is desirable in the interests of educational efficiency. When the distinction was first introduced it was necessary to fix a date at which it should become operative. Those who obtained their certificates by the acting teachers' examination before August, 1910, enjoy an advantage of which the Board could not have deprived them without creating a grievance.