Minister’s Scheme For Schools’ Administration

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30809, 22 July 1965, Page 22

Minister’s Scheme For Schools’ Administration

The new system of primary school administration which the Minister of Education (Mr Kinsella) is keen to test would retain elected boards but introduce Education Department staff as their fulltime servants. Mr Kinsella said yesterday that such a scheme would be introduced only on the formation of a new education district. There was no intention at present of interfering with existing boards. The object was to cut out one if not two stages of “educational processing” and give an even greater measure of local autonomy. At present, said Mr Kinsella, an education board made proposals to the Education Department, which usually handled the matter through one of its regional offices, though reference to the head office in Wellington was often necessary’ In, say, Christchurch, the Canterbury Education Board and the regional office of the Education Department both had separate staff working on the one problem, both kept files, and there might be more work being done in Wellington. Under the proposed scheme the district education board or council would decide policy within certain guide lines, and its decisions would be im-

piemented directly by Education Department staff in its office, who would have considerable authority. The one council and the one staff would thus get the job done Mr Kinsella said there was no plan at present to alter the existing arrangements for secondary schools. Mr Kinsella said these proposals had recently been put before the Education Boards’ Association. He believed great savings in time and money and still further improvement in efficiency could result.