Evening Post. SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 1895.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 48, 24 August 1895, Page 2

Evening Post. SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 1895.

THE INSPECTION OF PBIVATE SCHOOLS. ■ ♦ The demand mads by the Boman Catholio portion of the community for State inspection of their sohools has for some time past been a burning question in educational circles. By some of the Eduoation Boards the request has been received favourably, -while others have not ssen their way to comply with it, the main objection being that of expense. The Boards are not to be blamed for refusing to incur the henry expense which compliance with the demand would entail upon them. They do not receive oapitation allowanoe on the children educated in private or denominational schools, and bare therefore no f nnds at their disposal which could legitimately be devoted to meeting the cost <at inspecting those sohools. At the late interview between h's Grace the Archbishop of Wellington, as head of a deputation, and the Minister of Eduoation, thiß difficulty was discussed, and the Minister intimated that if the Boards were inolraed to undertake the inspection ho would be prepared to consider the question as to expense. The motion whioh Mr, BEAI.KT hut given notice of for the next mooting of the Wellington Eduoatton Board will bnns the matter to a head so far as this district is oonoernad, and probably lead to its settlement on a lystematio basis throughout the colony. The question of whether the Boards should undertake the inspection of private sohools is one which may be discussed apart from any denominational considerations. We have no hesitation in saying that our system of national education is lamentably incomplete while such inspection is not provided for. That system has as its fundamental prinoiple recognition of the fact th»t the State accepts it as a duty to see that evefy child in the colony reoeives a oortain degree of education. This dnty it is not Mailing while it fails to make provision for ascertaining that the children attending private sohools are receiving education up to the required standard. It is absurd to regard the national system of education as Compulsory if {t permits a large proportion of the youth of the colony to escape attendance at the State sohools on the more assumption that in the schools they do attend they are properly instructed. This can only be ascertained by examination and inspection. It appears to be the dear duty of the Government, in pursuance of the great national policy of free, secular, and compulsory education, to provide for this, even if those responsible lor the conduot of privat* Bohools were not willing. Their willingness to submit to in> speotion simplifies the matter very muoh. ifut if they put obstacles in the way of inspection it would be the duty of the State to refuse to reoojfniso their sohools in any w » y , nn a to insist on the ohildren now attending them attending the State sohools. This would involve an enormous expense to the State, « snoh a course were otherwise praotioable, but really it would oreate a kind of religious war. By undertaking the eduoataon of thttr own children the Eoman Catholios relieve the general taxation of the country of a burthen so great that were it imposed the national system of education would be in great danger of breaking down altogether. Yet they as taxpayers contribute to the support of the system, whioh &? 5? Jlo'J 10 ' ben ? fit b y- We n "e always felt that in this they suffer hardship. They keep up their own sohools, and l^wu to ,MSIBt, MS1Bt in keeping up schools which they do not use. That they feel unjustly treated wo oan well understand; but although wo sympathise with them, we see no means of affording redress or relief. They eleot to suffer for oonsoience sake, and they oannot bo relieved except at the cost of indicting still greater injustice on the community as a whole, of which they are only a minority. The maintenance or a national system of education is a matter of snoh vital importance that the interests of the minority must give way to those of the majority. If it were possible to afford relief without injury to the national system we would willingly see it extended, 5?» w ?. d P. not beheve snoh a solution of the difficulty ifl possible. Still, the country and the taxpayers should recognise the debt they owe to those who maintain sohools of their own, and should also take oare thatj in regard to secular instruction, thoso sohools are maintuned at tbe requited standard of efficiency. The laws of the colony require a oertain degreeof educational effiaienoyasaqualifioation for many offices, the Standard certificates of the State sohools being accepted as- proof. It is an entirely unnecessary hardship inflicted on the ohildren attending private schools that, no matter how well educated . ? n>»y be, they oannot prodnoe evidence ot the fact in the reoognised form of certificate. The inspection of private sohools and the issue of Standard certificates to those found qualified is, we think, a neoessary portion of the system of State eduoation. lhe iduoation Aot contemplates and provides for it, although the provision is not made compulsory. We are, of course, aware that it will be said that the Boman Catholics in asking for v-lnspeotion have nlterior objects m view, that it is the" fhin ? nd«f tbe wedge, and that if given an inch they will quickly take an ell. There may be some foundation for this belief, but we do not think that considerations of suoh a kind should be allowed to interfere with doing an aot of justice, not only .to those immediately concerned, bat, putting them aside altogether, to .the community as a whole, by ensuring that the ohildren attending private sohools are receiving a degree of elementary edooation equal tp that given to children attending the publio sohools. lospeotion of private Kohooln ii an essential portion of a really national system of eduoation, and

the healthy tone of publioflpintonlaroughout the colony may be trußted fer prevent any injury, present or prospective, resulting to the national free, seoular, and compulsoty B^stem of education from suoh inspection being provided for. A more pressing danger to the national system is the insidious attempt now being made in other directions to destroy i*s secular obaraoter by the introduction of religious instruction or Dible reading in the public schools. This is a real danger, and one whioh has to bo guarded against. Unwary penpla are being misled into Binning petitions for tbe introduction to the eohoola pf books whioh they have never Been and know nothing of. The introduction of the books in question wonld really destroy the distinctive featnres of our national system, and opon tho door to tho introduction ot rampant denominationaliem in education. This will have to be resisted to the utmost. The national system will be strengthened, however, instead of injured, by the inspection of private sohools being provided for, and therefore wo hope Mr. Buadit's motion will be endorsed by the Eduoation Board.