A SCHOOL COMMITTEE CONFERENCE

Evening Post, Volume XLVIII, Issue 55, 3 September 1894, Page 3

A SCHOOL COMMITTEE CONFERENCE

TO THE EDITOR. Sir — A three years' experience on a School Committee has convinced me that these bodies do not occupy the position they ought to in the odnoational scheme, and that this weakness is due to the want of assoc ation und conference, each committee being confined to a particular school, and having no opportunity of dealing with questions of a general charaoter. By way of showing the necessity for a union of committees, I wonld refer to the unsatisfactory position of committees regarding the custody of the school building and grounds. The law on this matter has been interpreted in most diverße ways. At Nelson the committoo successfully locked the snhool door against the Board's nominee, while in our own district the Boird decided in favour of tlio head mastor, as against the oommittco, in a question of allowing the horses of children coming from a distance to be tethered in the school ground. Then there is the question of teachers' classification. I feel certain few committees are aware that the status of teachers is annually published in the Gazette, a copy of which is posted to members of the profession. "Why should not the Supplementary Gazette, No. FO, be sont to committees, in order that rhey miaht learn whether the teachers in their schools were endeavouring by study and examination to improve their status, or wore merely relying on length of service for classification. Wore Committees guided by the information which this report affords in filling vaoancios on the teaohmg t-taff, the educational standard throughout tho district would be raised. What I have -cad as to furnishing Committees with the Gazette, applies also to the Educational report. _ '1 his rpporfc of tho minister of Rducation oon tains tho Board's balancesheet, and shows in what direction the money is being spent, whether on singing, gymnastics, or mental training. I am not forgetting that Committees have no control over Iho Board's expenditure, bufc if they had official information such as theroport contains, they would be within their rights in addressing individual members of the Board, and so making their influence felt. I am not without hope that if a conference made representation to the Minister of Education, committees would be supplied with the reports I have mentioned, as is done in the oase of the Kegistrar of Friendly Societies, copies of which are sont to the bodies interested. There are other questions which consideration for your space prevents mo dealing, such as the payment of school committoo seoretaTies, the question of representation on the Board, &o. But I think sufficient reason has been shown for a conference of Sohool Com mitt eos of the Wellington Distriot, to be held in Wellington during, say, tho Agricultural Show week in November, when possibly reduced railway fares would afford delegates from the oountry an opportunity of being present. I am, &o , J. Eobertson. 25th August, 1891.