§ Mr. CAMPIONasked the President of the Board of Education whether a certificated teacher who may have contributed for some years in accordance with the terms of the Elementary School Teachers Superannuation Act, but has since been unable to find employment or to continue the contributions, is unable to obtain any benefits from these contributions until late in life or any return of money on account of contributions already paid?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANSection 1, Sub-section (2), Clause (c) of the Elementary School Teachers (Superannuation) Act, 1898, provides that a teacher, on attaining the age of sixty-five years, or on any later date at which his certificate expires, shall be entitled, out of the Deferred Annuity Fund, to such an annuity in respect of his contributions to that fund as may be fixed by the Tables under the Act, but that he shall not be entitled to any return of contributions or to any benefits in respect of his contributions other than that annuity. An unemployed teacher is in precisely the same position in this respect as a teacher still in employment.
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Captain FABERasked the President of the Board of Education if he could promote legislation whereby school teachers who are thrown out of employment by the compulsory closing of schools would be transferred without financial loss to them to other schools under the control of the local authority, or be adequately compensated, and to prevent the Board of Education making retrospective a refusal as head teachers to certificated teachers not college trained?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI am not prepared to promote so considerable an interference with the discretion of Local Education Authorities. I must point out, moreover, that the majority of the Public Elementary schools closed from time to time are Voluntary schools, the teachers in which are the servants of the Voluntary school managers. I think it would be difficult to defend a proposal to compel Local Education Authorities to find employment for, or otherwise to compensate, teachers who are not their servants. It will, however, be found, I think, that in practice Local Education Authorities generally endeavour to mitigate any hardship involved upon teachers displaced by the closure of schools in their areas. With regard to the last part of the question the Board do not contemplate taking any action prejudicial to the interests of certificated teachers who, though untrained, are well qualified by their attainments and experience for appointment as head teachers in Public Elementary schools.