The Dominion THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1927. THE EDUCATION BOARDS

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 298, 15 September 1927, Page 8

The Dominion THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1927. THE EDUCATION BOARDS

« Despite the facetious assertions of Opposition members in Parliament to the contrary, the Minister of Education has made perfectly clear the whole origin and nature of the facts behind the rumour that the education boards were about to be abolished. In a sentence, there was no intention on the part of the Government at the present time to legislate in that direction, merely an intention on the part of the Minister to investigate the whole aspect of educational costs with a view to effecting economies in one direction in order to effect improvements in others.. According to figures given in the Ministers annual report to Parliament, the cost of education per pupil in New Zealand compared with other countries is as follows: —England and Wales, £ll 5s 9d.: Norway, £l4 145.; Plolland, £l2 10s.; United States, £l2 175.; Ontario, £l3 195.; British Columbia, £l7 195.; Queens- . land, £lO 19s. 3d.; Victoria, £8 -165.; New'South Wales, £l4 12s. 6d.; Cape Town (including primary and secondary), £l6 135.; Transvaal (including primary and secondary), £-1 4s. 2d. In .New Zealand the cost of primary education is £l3. . As this country is not yet a hundred years old in European civilisation, it must be admitted that, so far as education is concerned, we are spending in no niggardly fashion. But here is the. point. in spite of this expenditure we find the greatest difficulty in .providing for much-needed new school buildings, and so providing smaller classes to enable the children to secure the utmost benefit from the teaching. That is an elementary provision, a moral obligation to the younger generation, and therefore a first charge on the education vote. Manifestly, expenditure in other directions must be curtailed, or, with our rapidly increasing school population, the last state of the children will be worse than the first. As soon as the boards abolition rumour gained circulation, the cry of centralisation was raised and taken up all over the country. In his statement to Parliament Mr. Wright declared in the plainest possible terms that he had always been —and would always be opposed to centralisation. What he had thought might be considered was whether it would be possible to effect material economies by extending the functions of the school committees, and by this policy get rid of much extensive overlapping. So far from this being centralisation, it is an extension of the policy of decentralisation. This, amongst other matters connected with his Department, the Minister proposes to investigate when time permits. We have had a University Commission and a Commission on Secondary Education. Each of these submitted valuable proposals for reforming the higher branches* of our education system and improving their efficiency. These reforms are being delayed through lack of funds. Yet all arc very necessary, and some of them are urgent. If the practical side of education is being starved on account of the administrative costs, then surely that is sufficient justification for overhauling the latter with a view to effecting a saving. The Minister has not indicated the procedure of the investigations he has mentioned, but since we have had two commissions on higher education, we might advantageously appoint a third to deal with the administration of primary education. This important issue has been unnecessarily obscured by the dust which has been raised by the opponents of centralisation, who have failed entirely to grasp the fact that no Government in this country would be so foolhardy as to propose anything of the kind in connection with the schools. A commission, would bring the whole matter to a focus and present to the public a clear-cut issue, supported by evidence.