SCHOOL REPORTS CRITICISED

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24801, 15 February 1946, Page 6

SCHOOL REPORTS CRITICISED

MORE INSPECTORS CONSIDERED NECESSARY

Inspectors’ reports received from the Equcation Department by school committees were condemned by Mr C. A. Rogers at a meeting of the Canterbury School Committees’ Association on Wednesday evening. The reports contained no constructive criticism of schools, and parents did not know how the children were being taught, Mr Rogers said. Useful information was being excluded from the reports while matters of little account were included. The present system, he said, did not give an inspector power to tell a headmaster of a teacher that he was not doing his work properly. Mr W. T. Langley said that the only way in which the position could be improved would be for the association and school committees to support the Canterbury Education Board in representations to have the number of inspectors increased. The board did not have enough inspectors, and until the position was remedied little improvement could be looked for.

A remit will be sent to the Dominion Federation of School Committees’ Association asking that the Education Department be approached to make a large increase in the number of inspectors, that the form of inspectors’ reports be recast to make available more information to school committees on the general education standards at schools and that these reports be made available to parents.