NOTES ON EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 505, 12 May 1909, Page 9

NOTES ON EDUCATION

(By Socbates.) PETONE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. AT VARIANCE WITH THE BOARD. It is no new thing for tho Petone School Committee to find itself at variance with tho Wellington Education Board; tho history of the relations between theso two bodies is punctuated with differences of opinion. The latest disagreement between the Petono Committee and tho board is announced, in a brief report in The Dominion of Tuesday's date, of a meeting of the committee held on Monday evening last to consider tho appointment of an assistant on tho staff of the school. The report reads :— "The Education Board submitted for the committeo's consideration the name of one applicant for an assistantship rendered vacant by the transfer of Mr, Arcus to Maranui. Tho committeo did not object to the applicant eelected by the board (a candidate trained at Petono School), but declared that, in , forwarding - only one namo, the Education board was defeating the spirit of the Education Act in; relation to tho powers of selection on: ■ tho part of school committees. Tho committee refused to confirm tho selection,, determining to ask the board for a list of names for their consideration." Which is right—tho board or tho committee? Tho answer to that is perfectly clear. On every conccivablo point tho board is right. Firstly, it is legally right. Under the Education Act Amendment Act of 1908, ia the particular clauses thereof which relate to the appointments of teachers, education boards are givon the option of sending forward for tho consideration of those committees as aro interested in a particular vacancy, either (a) a list of candidates, or (b) the. namo of one candidate only, for such vacancy. Secondly, it is morally right, for by sending one namo only, there was no possibility of the committee being canvassed, as would have boon the case, and as has in the past boon the case, had a list of names been sent. Thirdly, it acted fully in accord with tho spirit and intention, of tho Act, which was expressly designed to free the administration of our education system from tho very anomalies which the Petono School Committee was originally responsible for having created, and which it now seeks to have retained. . Fourthly, tho ■ board's nomineo in'this particular instance is, the committee admits,. quite satisfactory; moro than that, the candidate was actually trained in tho Patone School I In tho face of the positive ovidencq that tho candidate selected by the board is ■■ acceptable to the committee, the latter'si objection on quito another and, wholly invalid argument cannot he entertained for a single moment. . So much , for this particular case. There is another noint, however, on •. which tho board is entitled to justify its policy of forwarding one name only. In fairness, it must bo pointed out that, whon tho, now Act camo into operation on January 1 last, tho Wellington Education Board did not hasten to avail itself of the opportunity afforded by tho provisions of tho Act of withdrawing tho pripreviously, invested in tho committees, wherein the latter selected appointees from lists submitted by tho board. On tho contrary, the appointments dealt with in , tho first month of the operation of the Act wore nil submitted to the committees undor the samo conditions as had, obtained previously— tho oommittees were given tho right of appointing from a selected list. : What happened? In one caserne Lansdowno appoint-ment-tho school committee entirely ignoreathe list submitted by the board, and agitated ror tho appointment of some one olso. In another case tho vacancy for the headmastership of, tho new school at Maranui was so openly canvassed for by cortaiu teachers as to .draw from. a member of the craft tho remark that "teachers wore ashamed of their profession." Smco Ihen: the board has adopted, wisely, the policy of sending in only one name, a policy, in which, it may feel, assured, it has the support of every fair-minded teacher in its 'service. . c } w , ill r l put u P lain question to the Petone School Committeo: Which is better ableto judge the , respective qualifications of candiclatesjor teaching appointments—the Education Board with its staff, of export advisors or a. School Committeo, with nothing 'before it but tho applications and testimonials of tno candidates; and'without the expert knowledge which is necessary for tho analysis and classification.of these? Tho Potono Com-. tmttep must agree to the former, if it would escape ridicule, and that being so/npon what principle does it establish its present cround of complaint? ' '■'■ . • ... . b