SENIOR INSPECTOR O'SULLIVAN AND THE EDUCATION BOARD.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 125, 28 May 1887, Page 3

SENIOR INSPECTOR O'SULLIVAN AND THE EDUCATION BOARD.

Animated Discussion.

At the meeting of the Board of Education yesterday afternoon, Mr O'Sullivan's letter in answer to the Board's request to be furnished with proof of the allegations contained in his inspectorial report came up for consideration. '

Ihe Secretary having read the letter, whicl-Uias been already published by us, Mr >_-arr rose and moved " That the Board regrets that Mr O'Sullivan should have,' in his report for ISSG, expressed opinions whic.i are at variance with the official reports on schools of himself and his fellowinspectors, and is glad to find that "in reply to the request for proof he admits that the charges were made against administration based on very slight foundation, and that he was largely influenced by imaginary fears." After emphatically . denying that he was biassed against Mr O'Sullivan by religious' feeling, the speaker went on to assail Mr Moss for assisting to bring about this state of things in the educational system, which had been generally condemned. He went on to say that Mr O'Sullivan's report had created unnecessary alarm, and should not have been published until accompanied by the reports of the inspectors. Mr Can* then passed on to charge Mr O'Sullivan with ill-temper, and to quote fr&m private letters in support of the charge. Mr Cooper rose to protest. He wished to know if teachers had furnished the information contained in the letters.

Mr Carr answered in the affirmative. Mr Cooper thereupon asked for their names.

Mr Goldio objected

Mr Can- refused to divulge tha name.. No teacher would dare to writs openly against an inspector and retain his position under the Board. Kg expressed his determination to support tho present system of appointing and removing teachers. Mr Upton opposed the motion, which he did not understand. He was pleased that the somewhat alarming tone of Mr O'Sullivan's report had not been borne out in its entirety. His mind had been relieved by tho admission in tho supplementary letter that tho schools were in a fair condition. The Senior Inspector's aim had been to sound a note of warning, and he agreed with his protestagainsfc the system of appointing teachers.' At the same time he did not agree with him that his charges had been proved by Mr Rice's admissions. After citing three proposals made at tho last meeting of the Board to appoint unsuitable teachers, Mr Upton went on to argue that an inspector was better fitted than a head teacher to advise the Board re the appointment of teachers. The Board required skilled advice. He fully admitted that great evils arose when Mr O'Sullivan was adviser to tho Board, and he did not wish that system returned to. At the same time Mr Rice was not fitted to take Mr O'Sullivan's place. He had never inspected or taught in a s.hool, and yet he had become the Board's skilledadviser. The Chairman came forward with cut and dried resolutions upon every matter, based upon information furnished by the Secretary. He thought the three inspectors should meet, consult, and arrange their methods of procedure. He moved as an amendment, " (1) -That applications for employment be considered by the Board once a month. That such applications, prior to being brought before the Board, be referred to the Inspector in the town district for his report. (2) That the Chairman, with the Inspector in tho town district, be empowered to decline any applications for employment when they may consider the applicant manifestly unsuitable. (3) That applications for removal and for promotion be considered by the Board once a month. (4) That such applications, prior to being brought before the Board, be referred to the Inspector in the town district for his report. (5) That urgent applications for temporary help be dealt with by the Chairman."

Mr Goldie expressed his intention to support the resolution ; at the same time there wa3 a portion of the amendment which would enlist his favour. He showed that in the cases cited by Mr Upton, the Board had voted almost unanimously against the appointments. As for Mr O'Sullivan s inspectoral report,npon analysis it proved to contain nothing. Of the 88 schools in Mr O'Sullivan's district he had only examined 3'i of them separately, that is, at a time, apart from that of his inspection, and if the districts had been badly arranged the fault was his own, for he himself had arranged them. Instead of giving prooiof the statement that teachers were wrongly appointed, Mr O'Sullivan fell back nponMr Cooper's wild and lawyerhke statement that teachers were appointed for their good looks or recommendation of his parson.: Now ' no member of the Board knew less than Mr Cooper how teachers were appointed, for the very simple reason that Inn Court duties prevented him attending the Committee meetings at which the, appointments were made. As Co trie, necessity of appointing teachers upon the inspector's recommendation it was a cutiotis fact that of 30 teachers dismissed during tho past lb months .[The, Chairman : '34] 2G had been mg*sffi the advice or recommendation of Mi O bullivan On the other band, of 100 teachers appointed by the Board after investigating thdr credentials and receiving reports from their head teacher,, only 5 had P^f ineflicient. That proved the value ol the Board's present system., Mr -Of*™* 01l to refer to the appointment to Devonport school of Mr Benge, who, he said, had S the school to the first rank and a very bi-h standard of efficiency. As for J& a feed non-necessity of the Whant .rata school, the Board built it upon the ftrong recommendation of Inspector Fu ler. Thelrarimu Valley school was .a- building upon which, after several yem^free oceuS the Board had spent L 75, getting a SS for its free use for 5 *%*&* ; .vm_» .- ~. fen t0 deal -writh a ?n°tfe background 6 It was a polite way 3 sayin. tS Mr O'Sullivan's allegations werfuntrue, imaginary and tbat be had •nr.real groundwork for what he said Swt maintained that those a egaUons S Vl _om P^e - knowledge'as other mem- ?__« of the Board of the manner m which Laches were appointed. Perhaps it was teachers we ig assess this comflS uhfairnesa of Mr Carr reading deZZT from anonymous letters aga ns m O'lulUvan The teachers who had Elnspiftob^ a M?Udy supported the resolution. ,; .:, TheSSn said he had been pained by Mr O'Sullivan's sensational report. The

inspectors had already as much work to do as they could carry out, and he would not therefore support the reference of applications to the inspectors. He could not support either proposition before the meeting, and if he had the chance he would move instead, "That Mr O'Sullivan's report be received, and no further action be taken in the matter."

Mr Upton asked and obtained leave to modify his amendment by leaving out the second clause.

Mr J. M. Clark in supporting Mr Upton's amendment, admitted that Mr O'Sullivan had not ' proved his particularised allegations, but 'maintained that the Inspector was right in his contention that the Board had refused to take advice regarding the appointment and removal of teachers from tho officers who were best able to give that advice.

Mr Lennox twitted some members of the Board who made grand speeches with being conspicuous by their absence from Committee meetings. He admitted the value o Mr O'Sullivan's educational services, but then the gentleman had been remarkably well paid for them. His inflammatory report was unsupported by proofs. Again, of the SS schools in his own district he had left no less than 27 uninspected. He condemned Mr Carr's reading of anonymous, letters, but Mr O'Sullivan had also stabbed his co-inspectors in the dark by attacking them in his report.

Mr Can- briefly replied,

By arrangement it was decided to treat as separate resolutions Mr Carr's and Mr Upton's propositions.

Mr Carr's resolution was then put, with the following result: — For : (4) Messrs Can*, Goldie, Lennox and Udy. Against: (4) .Messrs Upton, Cooper, Clark, and the Chairman. The Chairman also exercised his casting vote against the resolution, which was accordingly rejected Mr Upton on Mr Goldie's suggestion altered the term " month " in his motion to "fortnight.*'

After some discussion the amended motion was put and lost, upon the Chairman's casting vote, the division being: For: Messrs Upton, Goldie, Cooper and Clark. Against: The Chairman (two votes), and Messrs Udy, Carr and Lennox.

Matters were thus left as they wero before. It was then resolved "That tho inspectors' reports, and the memorandum of the secretary with reference to Mr O'Sullivan's report, be sent to the head teachers."