STATE SCHOLARSHIPS

Evening Star, Issue 16998, 21 March 1919, Page 6

STATE SCHOLARSHIPS

, AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS. An application from the holder of a senior national scholarship for permission to take the scholarship at King's College caused considerable discussion at last week's meeting of the Auckland Education Board. When the letter wan read a protest was made by Mr G. Murray against a scholarship of this kind being taken at a private school. Mr H. <S. W. King: Is there any objection to King's College? Mr Murray: Not" as a school, but because it is a private school. Mr King : I am quite unable, to see why you should go against the wishes of the parent in this matter if he wishes to send his boy to a school of this kind. Mr 'Murray : But it is a- State scholarship. Mr J. 6. "Roddio said it was a matter of principle. He asked if they would bo prepared to extend a principle of the kind to denominational schools. Tho Secretary said tho Education Act laid down that "the holder of a scholarship should pursue his studies at a secondary school or its equivalent approved by the Minister. Kings College, he said, was approved by tho Minister. Mr King again asked why they were objecting to the request, in reply to which Mr Murray repeated that it was a State scholarship, and King's College was a private school. Mr A. Burns pointed out that some time ago they had granted a similar request to Sacred "Heart College. Why, he asked, should they make a distinction in this case He was of the opinion that if the board refused the application the King's College authorities could appeal against it. Tho Chairman (Mr J. D. M'Kenzie) pointed out that hi the face of the Act and the fact that King's College was approved by the Minister, they could not legally refuse the application. He moved that the ordinary course be taken. Mr Murray said that they should take a decided stand, in order to make the public schools system a democratic system. They did not want class schools set,up in opposition to public schools. The Government had provided schools quite suitable for any boy or girl who wished to be educated. He thought the members of the board should sat their faces against any bolstering up of private schools. He moved an amendment in that direction. The Chairman: In view of the provisions of the Act I cannot take the .amendment. There is a course open to you, but you cannot take that course here. Hon,, a. J. Garland, M.L.C., said those were regulations; they were not, law. They were manufactured by tho department. "These regulations," he went on, " have been framed after extreme pressure on Minister after Minister, with the result that they have been manufactured, and are not in conformity with tho spirit of the Act. We have a system of secondary education in New Zealand second to none in the world. We have schools in Auckland second to none in the Dominion. Taking recent results, you will find that the Auckland Grammar School has won right, out; so has the Girls' Grammar School. What, in the name of common sense, can people want more than the results they can got at the grammar schools ? It is only a start to get the denominational system in this country," he continued, " arid I hope I shall never live to see it. I have got no time for these schools. The sooner wo make a stand the sooner the Mrniatr will take cognisance of the fact that there is someone up against this monopolv." Mrs K. L. Baume said it was distinctly unfair that anyone earning a scholarship under the State system should be allowed to use it at a private school. If people wished to send their children to private schools, she added, they should be prepared to pay for it. If the board did not oppose any proposal to take a State scholarsnip in a private school it would have failed in its trust.

Mr King pointed out that it would be inconsistent to refuse this application when for years they had granted others. Moreover, apparently they could not do so under the regulations. On the motion of Mr Boddie it was decided to refer the matter to the Department of Education for consideration, with a statement to the effect that the board strongly object to scholarships tinder the national system beins taken at private echoohv