EDUCATION.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16695, 2 December 1919, Page 5

EDUCATION.

i ADMINISTRATION QUESTIONS. | IN DEFENCE OF THE ECAKDS. The New Zealand Education Ito.ml*' , As-ociation has canto to the concluMen thai a determined effort will lv made in near t tun to to poisuat'o P:.rl tn.nt to atxtlisa Uwrds and establish the l>i-iiiL-iple of cviitraiisaluin in respe.-t o! i iuv.ition in New Zealand. i.:j; ih.it this would be a retrograde <te;\ tite association has drawn up a st.i.eluetit in d-'lejuv <>1 tiie ixi.tn:.--, and is subiii'-tiing tiiis to ineir.tx.'rs ci Sti.ool committees, telnetand otner elec-j lors - ... ( i no ass.iciation n ,v es reasons for urg-j ing s the tete.ition ot board.-, and I these, Miniinarise.i. are as ioil..w>:— | (I) Tne priiit-inlo of contralisation is' un:i)t::id. It lias iiroved itseit tin-flee-1 tivc wherever tried. It i> important that a liealt:'.«• local interest about ili«» ' education of the children should lie . maintained in every <i:>trict, .-iitd that ' a body strong enoagh to indueaec tho l/o;iar:ineut Mirittld exist in every la rue Hica. Tlie.-e itee Is are met. I y s;-:ioc.! coinmitt .e< and tduc.it.on t)oard> res. e - ■ tively. It itas been Miggested titat ■ cr-uutv cotiinils might take t!:e place ot . education (wardi. It id submitted that the councils would not yive the suite consideration to educatin that illIn a: (is. with ;"0 yo ;im' experience, do, and that a system of local rating might ha introduced, placing one district- at a d:s ivantdago with another. i <2) Even under present conditions do-1 parimcntal control has not b en satis-' factory. Delay in dealing with applications and hampering restrictions plated lij't'n aihninistration have proved most burdensome in the past. I->olat.*l conn- ; l:'y districts, even with lx'aids cf e.lu-! cation at their backs, find it- most d lit- j er.lt to obtain a school within their district. Without the power of the boariU to support them tii:v would be practic- ; ally helpless. i (;$) in a democratic country the first principle is government by the people. To attempt to abolish education boards who are e!e:-t'd by school committees, | who are elected l y householders, is to t attempt to deprive tho people of their i rights and to tak ■* the jKiwer of initia- ; tivo r.'otn them. D'oart'iiental control ■ will in-an control by official*. j (4) All enrnm ttees, particularly those: in rural areas, rccpiire an inletmcdiary ; body to pre.-s their claims for school; f:ui!ities. Instance after instance can bo quoted where, if boards had not cx-. isted, there would have been no education facilities whatever in rural areas. | (»} Such questions as the removal of : teachers, their interchange, the supply of relieving teachers, the adjustment difficulties between teachers and committees and parents, need much more prompt attention than could bo afforded by the Central Department. Reference, oi' such matters to Wellington would ciiuso endless delay, and would oitcn prove unsatisfactory. (0) It is prcbabta that under tho Central Department the Public Works l)o- ( partment wouSl liave control over all; iniilding operations. Experience in New j Zealand docs not go to show that t!tis j Department would c.irrv out its work as promptly as an education board. (7) Boards have been responsible for many reforms in education. (8) The experience of Iroards goes to show that most applications are sit first, declined or d ferred, and that, only aiier a strenuous contest are they granted. The Department has proved itself _ a resisting body rather than a directing i>a;iy. As aii instance in point it. may !o mentioned that recently the associated lKiards, with a full knowledge! of tho finances of school committees, unanimously urged Parliament to increase the grants to committees bv £23,000. Tho chairman of the associated committees asked for £20.000, but the Department urged that £6000 ■. would meet the position. Notwithstand-, ing the representations made, Parlia- j mcnt, under tho Bill, was asked to | grant only £6000, but later, under tho estimates, it provided another £5000. Committees will thus lw still underfinanced by £12,0C0. This is au instance of Departmental method. (9) If education wcro centralised it must be remembered that tho Minister is rarely an rnlhority on education, and is therefore entirely in the hands of his Departmental officers, from whoso decision there is seldom any appeal. (10) Tho conditions under which education is differ fo widelV in various education districts that local knowledge is absolutely essential to sue-, cess. . I (II) Tho only difficulty in the past in the wav of carrving out the system of education was hick of sufficient mone-t-'ry provt-ioM !>v tl*o Df*pintmcnt. That is proved by tho fact that Parliament has recently tremendously increased the votes for education, sinco it proposes to sprvid three and a half millions in the next three years for building requirements alone. I (12) Boards maintain that sinco tho inspectorate has been taken over by tho Department, the inspectors are not nearly in such close touch with tho local needs of tho different education districts a3 they were when under tho control of boards. i (13) Tt would ho impossible for tho Department to tnkc tho place of education boards as live factors in the commtinitv, and local interest would lx> reduced'in education until it finally vanished. . ' TVo association urges that candidates for Parliament sTtould bo asked to say whether they are in favour of local control of 'education by education boards.