EDUCATION BILL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 79, 30 September 1914, Page 2

EDUCATION BILL

. » SCHOOL COMMITTEES' ACTION' Recently a conference of representatives of school committees of the Wellington City was held to consider the Education Bill. At it a series of resolutions were adopted, and these were received by the Education Board yesterday. They include the following :—: — That this conference disapproves of tho establishment of a Council of Education; but if such a council is established the number of the boards' representatives, should be increased to six — three for each island — and the number of teachers' representatives reduced to four. That this conference disapproves of the establishment of district councils as being unnecessary. That this Conference is entirely opposed to the establishment of urban school flistricts in this Dominion, as now proposed in the Education Bill of 1914. It is of the opinion that if this portion of the Bill is passed, and urban school districts are established, it will be entirely detrimental to the efficient contiol of public schools as now carried on by the various school committees. A school committee of an urban school district could only consist of men of the leisured class, who would have no particular interest in the school, and in all probability the position would develop into one for office-seekers only, and the real work b» left to one or two men. The ordinary business or working man could not possibly find time to take up the duties of committeeman on an urban school district committee with the enormous amount of work entailed. City school committees are now composed of men from all ranks of society, who have a keen personal interest in the schools of their districts, and who are endeavouring to do the best for the welfare of both teachers and scholars, and to upkeep and protect the property of their boards. The Education Board, the teachers, and the parents of the scholars can testify that the work of the Wellington school committees has been carried on to the benefit of all concerned. Tlu's Conference is of the opinio^ that the establishment of one school committee for the whole of a city's schools on the urban school district principle as embodied in the Bill is an entirely undemo- j cratic and retrograde step, and hopes that the Minister of Education will see his way to remove from the Bill all that ! portion that has reference to urban school districts. I That the nomination paper for election to school committee should bear ! the address of the candidate. That in the case of election of school committees for schools having an average attendance of over 200, the names of the candidates be posted in convenient places in each district. That the present and proposed rates of payment of pupil teachers, proba- ■ tioners and students-in-training are ! grossly inadequate. That the salaries of teachers in the lower grades are grossly inadequate. That this conference disapproves of the proposal to remove inspectors of schools from the control of Education Boards.