THE RIGHTS OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 177, 30 July 1887, Page 4

THE RIGHTS OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

The old ground of squabbling between Boards of Education and Schools Committees has become tho subject of controversy again at Wellington. The circumstances are these: Miss Devereaux, head mistress of Thorndon school, sent in her resignation, and the Board of Education advertised for applications for the vacant position. The local School Committee requested that the applications might be sent to them before the meeting of the Board, in order that they might make a selection for recommendation to the Board. This was considered desirable as Miss Devereaux was leaving immediately. The Board declined to accede to this, and on Wednesday last selected a certain young whose educatlcß*! attainments qualify her to fill the post. There were tvrelvo candidates in all. Miss Page having hmn selected, the whole of the applications wave sent to the Thorndon Committee, ostensibly for their recommendation of a emU-, date. The Committee, acting under' eije pro visions of Clause 45 of thel

Education Act, 1877, went carefully through the whole of the applications and testimonials, and finally selected Miss Constance Searle, who possesses high qualifications and had formerly been a teacher in the Thorndon School. This selection was notified to the Board, with a request that the Board would confirm the appointment. The Committee ignored the action of the Education Board in making any appointment without first consulting them, and denied the Board's right to interfere with the the Committee's choice of a teacher.

We entirely sympathise with the School Committee, and have little doubt that in the impending struggle they will triumph. This question was raised in the Auckland Educational District during Dr. Laishley's chairmanship, and upon his motion a resolution was carried which ensured to the local committees the consultative authority in the appointment of teachers which is conferred by the Act. In his little work "Education and Educators," Dr. Laishley puts the issue very clearly. He says :

I cannot think that any impartial mind can come to any conclusion but that the confidential, trusting word "consulted" [the word used in the Act] in respect of an appointment, suspension or dismissal of a teacher, means, and can only mean— (1) That the school committee should be not merely communicated with—for if such were the intention of the Legislature the more formal words "communicated with " would have been used—but taken into the confidence of the Board ; in other words, have all the data in possession of the Board laid before them in order to guide them in forming an opinion ; and (2) Have their opinion, advice or recommendation carried out, unless there be very substantial reasons to the contrary.

The appointment of teachers by the school committees, subject to the approval of the Board has worked very well in Auckland, and if the Wellington Board had manifested a respectful or friendly spirit towards the Thorndon Committee, the present hitch might have been avoided. We do not by any means believe in placing teachers entirely at the mercy of local school committees. These may be animated by narrow jealousies, and may have neither the requisite knowledge nor capacity to judge justly of a teacher's attainments.; but there is much less risk of friction between the teacher and the committee and the Board, and less danger of the growth of an undesirable official patronage in the Education Department, when the most liberal interpretation is given to the instruction of the Act, that the local committees shall be " consulted " as to the appointment and removal of teachers, than when the Board monopolises all authority in the matter.