"BESIDE THE POINT"

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 151, 30 June 1928, Page 11

"BESIDE THE POINT"

CHAIRMAN OF BOARD REPLIES The chairman of the Education Board (Mr. T. Forsyth, M.P.) replies to the abovo statement ,as follows:— " "Tho Director's statement in regard to control by statute or by regulation is quite beside tho point. The fact remains that in my previous- statement I quoted in full a section of the statute which Mr. Strong had also-quoted, but from which ho had omitted the vital words which, indicated 'that education boards had tho 'control' of training 'colleges. I repeat the section in question:— Any education board having the ■ '-control" of a training college established under the. Education Act, 1914, . may with the approval of the Minister of Education previously obtained, establish and maintain-in connection with.such training college one or more public schools as normal or practising schools. "Eeiteration by the Director of the. statement 'that tho Minister shall decide who shall be appointed to training college staffs,' irrespective altogether of recommendations made by tho Committee of Advice and endorsed by the Education Board, is not likely to have the result of turning public opinion. "The board agrees that the position !of principal of the Training College: is i of great importance, and in its endorsement of the selection of Mr. Lomas by ! the Committee of Advice, it is con'vinc[ed that it is acting in the best interests of the institution and of education generally. As soon as tho Department raised opposition the board sought the fullest information as to the reasons actuating the Department's disapproval. These reasons, which the board affirms, were quite insufficient to justify the withholding of approval of tho appointment, have boon published by the board, nothing having been withheld. The board even pressed for details regarding rumours which tho Department stated had reached them and were 'disturbing' them. These rumours, on investigation, were found to be absolutely groundless."Tho Director, in; his most recent public statement, says:— In the case under review all the inspecting . officers, including two Directors of Education, were firmly of Opinion that tho board's recommendation was not a wise one, .and .what could bo more reasonablo under ■ the circumstances. than for the Minister to ask the board to re-advertise' for applications in order that a wider . selection might be secured? "The board is informed that during tho .past live years only two brief visits have been made to the Training College by any inspector of schools or officer now connected with the Education Department. Certainly the Department has not furnished tho board with any unfavourable report regarding Mr. Lomas. At the time of Mr. Lomas's selection for tho priur.ipalship, tho Wellington senior inspector had been in tho district for only six months, and was therefore not iv a position, to express a personal opinion as Jo, Jtho

merits or otherwise of Mr. Lomas's application for the appointment in. question. "Moreover, Mr. Strong refers to tho former Director of Education as. 'an inspecting officer,' but does not draw attention to the fact that three of the educational experts, viz., Professors Tennant and Gould and Mr. William. Gray (all former Principals, of tho Training College), who strongly recommend Mr. Lomas's appointment, and who have an intimate knowledge of the Training College and of Mr. Lomas's work there, had each had considerable experience as inspectors of schools before receiving promotion to higher positions. . "I do not propose to enter into any further discussion with the Director of Education, but consider that it ill-be-comes him to continue the controversy, and It seems to me that having got the Minister of Education into what, to say tho least of it, may be described as an unfortunate position, from which he has had to extricate himself, the Director of Education might now devote his energies to the many serious problems that are at present unsolved by the Department." " :