The Daily Telegraph. TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1887.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4853, 1 March 1887, Page 2

The Daily Telegraph. TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1887.

Judging from the numbers of children of school age that are to be seen in the streets during school hours, there must be a good deal of truant-playing going on. The committee are to "blame for not taking energetic steps to put a stop to this nuisance. Whether parents are free from blame it is hard to say. Considering the manner in which most children are brought up, the chances are that when the youngsters leave home in the morning they iire at liberty to go to school or play marbles. Without being under any sort of control, and without having been impressed from their earliest infancy with a high sense of tlie duty they owe their parents, it is not unreasonable to suppose that children prefer playing truant to going to school. If the colony, however, is to obtain the full benefit of the enormous expenditure on education to which it is committed, it follows that there must be no truants amongst the pupils. It devolves on the district committees to see to this, and when truants form a large per centage day by day of the whole school attendance, it shows that the committee are not doing their duty. The principle of our educational system is that it is free, secular, and compulsory. Every child within the ages of seven and thirteen years is compelled by law to attend school if living within two miles of a public school. Tho exemptions are very few, 1, that the child is being efficiently instructed ; 2, that the child is suffering from illness, or other unavoidable cause; 3, that the road between the child's residence and the school is not passable ; and, 4, that tho child lias reached a standard of education prescribed by the Act, and holds a certificate to that effect. In case any committee ascertains that any child between tho ages of seven and thirteen .years, and resident within tlio distanco of two miles from a public school within its district, does not attend school, the clerk or any member of such committee iimy give the parent or guiirdian of suoh child uotioo in writing, in tho form or to the effect in the third schedule of tho Act, calling upon I such parent or guurdian to send such child to school. If tho parent orguurdiau of any child between the ages of seven and thirteen resident , within two miles from a public school, not holding a certificate of exemption as aforesaid in respect of such child, refuses or neglects to send such child to a public school after having been called upon iv manner aforesaid to do so, tho parent or guardian of such child may bo summoned before any two Justices of tho Peace, who may order such parent or guardian to send such child to a public school. In case any parent or guardian, after having been ordered as aforesaid by any two Justices of the Peaco to send any child to a public school, neglects to obey such order, or, having oboyed tho samo for a time, without sufficient cause ceases to do so, such parent or gnardiim shall bo liable to a penalty not exceeding forty shillings, and tho same proceedings might be taken week by week in tho caso of failure by such parout to comply with the order aforesaid. In any information or complaint under this Act, whether for recovery of penalties or for orders to send children to school, tho allegation that it child is botween tho ages of seven and thirteen years shall bo deemed sufficient primd facie ovidenoo of tho fact until tho contrary is proved, and in every case tho father and mother or guardian of any child may bo witnesses. All proceedings for orders to send children to school and for recovery of penalties under this Act may bo had and taken in tho manner proscribed by " Tho Justices of tho Peaco Act 18GC " '