CONTROL OF HIGH SCHOOL

Evening Star, Issue 17720, 22 July 1921, Page 7

CONTROL OF HIGH SCHOOL

CHANGE OF SYSTEM SUGGESTED,

BOARD DISCUSSES PROPOSAL.

Tho principal bus.nc*s dealt with at the meeting o; tnc nigH Scnool Baum oi Gomuors yeAt!.rday »fto.noun was a discussion on a resolution brought forward ■•ov Air \v. K. Brugu, wi:n t-..e object oi encming a change m me cystem ot euntivi oi high .schools throughout New Zealand. A guuci ueai oi tune ....a u0.„.-u-. ... ■niauor, -and the discussion showed a deemed division ol upiiwii on me ilic wnoie matter was eventually mened to a committee tor f miner coiutderatiun. .Ur Bruges resolution was as toii-owe : That n be a recommcmiatum to the Etiuo.iUun ueparlmeut l-Jiat tho control oi tnc Otago Buys’ amt Gins’ ruga Schools be talien over by the OUgo JSudOuiiuii Board, Ural the Board oi Governors bo distanced, and that a Comini.-i-uo oi .UanagciiiOiu, w-.i-h puucia similar to school Cuimnitiees i«j ejected bicunia.lv as follows—namely, one member by the Otago University Council and eight others !>y the pmenta of the pupils attending the sellouts (a proportion of tho eight picfevauiy to be par-enU o! the pup.is), and Dial throe laums, representing tlio gills’ school, bo added ns cu-optative members ; and. further, that this resolution snail be made applicable -to all hign schools within the Dominion, in the event of the above resolution being carried, that a copy of game shall be fonvaided to the Munster oi Education and the Director of Education. Mr Brugh, in bringing forward his resolution, s.uu that- tiie Jugli Bciioois' Board was established b-y At of Panianiciu in Haiti. At that time ti.c High Schools ot this city were semi-private—they wete institutions entire,y controlled by the Board ol Guvcniurs. in WOT tree, places wete granted, and the secondary schu-o.s became part and pa; cel ol' tho education system of tiie Dominion. From 19-04 ouwaido scconaaiy education had found its way in larger and larger doses into the Education Acts of New Zcaiand. However, nothing had been done regarding tho constitution oi these hoards of ge.ernors, and tho Outgo J3i.au! co..sifted of two numbers of the University Council, two members ot tiie Education Board, two members nominated by the Government, and the mayor oi the city. From 1817 to 1904 no one could complain of that method of appointment; put in 19u4 Die high schoois ceased io be p.ivalo, and became part oi the educational system. About toiO tnc Jtauca-

■ uni Guniiuittec of the Otago Expansion League louiui a weakness in the. cahlAutwa of the Board of Governors, a-nct Air Stephens had put -forwaul a proposal whica was linaliy c.i:o..aied in ii.o Act rh;u too parents of the pupils should have a voice m tnu ailaii's oi Li.e Uua.d, ana that was nov; tho case, Since then, howevor, nothing iuvtner had been demo; but surely, v.-iin the advance winch had been raauu in educational matters, some advance might have been rnaue in the metuod of man. tig

appointments to tlio iioa.d of tic vomers. It it was a wise thing to recognise the principle of the election of two members as lepruvciiling tho parents, surely u was sound common sense to apply that principle to the election of the eigne members. fdr iiiugh,. continuing, said Ire was not wearied to the actual terms of his motion in respect to handag over their affairs to Iho Education Board, Ir.it. if some better

.■Astern could bo devised he would bo prepared to fall in with it. Tiro new board could be called by any name they liked, provided there was one central governing body. The present education boards had their finger on the pulse of'primary, secondary, and higher secondary education in the Dominion, and mon.h by month tho .Otago Beard was carrying out the affairs kit some 250 primary schools as well as those of tbe secondary district high schools under its control, i He did not want them to think that he desired to bcJii.lo either the Boys’ or the Girls’ High School; but the question for them to consider was whether their present duties could n; t ba carried out by a ecu .nil body. Perhaps tho representation of the High School Old Boys’ Association on the board c mid bo e lindcicd. ' He had some experience of ! tho working of the Education Boar a. ami , r.i;o oi the High Schools Board, and the ■ former body could control tho High Schools'; just as effectively, efficiently, and eronomi- , colly as they were controlled at present. Do not Jet the mere respectability of ibis body'vveigli with you," said Mr Brugli, ■ nee,inse 1 i.avc Been institutions fall to the ground by the weight of their own respectability. Whether or not tens mo- | lion is parsed to-day, the reform which I 1 propose is coming, and wh.cn it d-.es come . the efficiency of the high schools will in no way be detrimentally affected.” In reply to Mr J. M, Callaway, Mr 1 Brugh po.ulcd out some of tho methods adopted by the Education Board which, i ho believed, represented an advantage! over their own system. For one tiling, the Education Board had its expert ad- , visers present at*the meeting in the persons of tho chief ieci’cctor and tho archi- I led. It also had reports from its own 1 officials and the officials of the department with reference to the methods HI use in ! other places, and these wore used as a compai ison and as a guide in determining their own policy.

The Hon. JJ. T. Fleming eccnnrlrd flic I motion, and in doing so disclaimed any intention to reflect on the two schools, of which they had every reason to be proud. He did think, however, that the governing body could he much improved. Tuci-r prevent system involved a great waste of time, and they came there month after month to do little more than the business of an ordinary school committee. It cecnied to him that the time land arrived in this coiaUiy when there should be a greater unification in the control of the various educational institutions, and, ■ whether ihc board liked it or not, that time had come. There were ton many controlling bodies in existence, making for divergent methods in educational matters, am! Some of these should be got rid of. Mr Fleming went on to say that there was a great waste of energy and efficiencyin much of the presoih overlapping, ,auli I under a system of gi eater ccnlralisal'idii more economy would undoubtedly result. | Mr Burgh had covered the ground fully and well, and ha asked members to divest themselves of the personal aspect of the matter and look at it from the educational point of view. The high schools would sutler in no degree from the passing of such a motion, but would have the bone (it of the experts who now lent the Education Board so much/assistance. Tiro lime had come when all branches of education, apart from Hie University, should bo brought under one control, because the present system was both a waste of time and money.

Professor Thomson rtiid he thought that any fnr-ronching reform such as this would require long and- careful consideration. Rc.otm in education was d.tiTreut from the changes in any other sphere of life. If Parliament made some mistake in one of its Acts, the results could bo sized up within a very short space of time, and the mistake could bo remedied; but if a wrong step "Wore taken in education its effects were not seen for a whole generation. Most of the arguments which had been put .forward by the mover and seconder had been almost solely on tho side of administration; but the longer ho was cTOnectcd with education the more lie became convinced that tho administrative side was not the most important. It was highly important, to his mind, that the individuality of the secondary schools, and that wonderful spirit of esprit de corps which thcy > created and which was so widespread in its influence, should be preserved, and for that reason among others he thought the passing of the resolution would be a retrograde stop. Mr Callaway said they would have to go into tho merits of the whole matter more exhaustively than had' been done that day, and he would suggest that the subject be referred to a committee, with Mr Brugh as ite chairman -M’AvJ. S. Douglas supported' this suggestion.

Mr H. Webb said that as m old High School boy and an old member of the boardj he could not trust himself to speak on tins matter. “ 1 .think it is the worst, of bad taste,” he said, “ for two members of the Education Board to seek to extinguish -cur board, and 1 do not think they have staled, tho case nt all fairly. Mr ’nigh seems- to treat it as a- joke; but there is no joke about & i led the.

strongest resentment against this proposal, and will opposo it to the full extent of my power.” Mr J. C. Stephens said they Lad lo consider whether tho proposal was in tho interests of education in New Zealand ns n whole. He had been much impressed by what Professor Thompson had said respecting the _ importance of preserving tlio individuality of the secondary schools, and he thought that was a factor to which- tho fullest weight should be given. He doubted 'whether, under the system now proposed, the secondary schools would maintain tho wholesome rivalry which now existed, find whether esprit dc corps and school tradition would count for ns much as they did now. As regards Mr Fleming's statements about cciitraFsation, lie was strongly opposed to anything in tho way of bureaucratic control, which would' extinguish the iniorc-t now taken in the high schools by the pact pupils and the parents of the scholars. He would suggest that there should be an increase in the representation of the parents of tho pupils, hut in the meantime he thought Air Callaway’s suggestion si-ould bo adopted, and the matter referred to a committee. Dr Fulton said it teemed to him that Professor Thompson’s argument had been almost the must important that had been placed before them. Possibly ho looked at tho matter from a sentimental point of view ; but ho considered that tho motion represented- a retrograde step, and one which would have tl.o elfoot of ve y largely doing .away with tho fine history of the rchoool. ,Hc would certainly oppose the change from beginning to end, and he had heard nothing that day that would make him agree to it. At .this ala-go Mr Brugh intimated that he would accept Air Gadaway’s proposal, and tho following committee was then set up to go into the mailer: —Messrs Brugh, Fleming, Sidey, and Professor Thompson. Messrs M'Lean (secretary of the board) and Dark (secretary of the Education Board) arc also to ho asked to attend tho meetings of tho committee. Air Gailaway intimated that ho wcnld act in the event of Air Sidey, who was not piosent at the meeting, being unable to do so.

The motion referring the matter to a committee was carried by a majority of ■the board, the chairman and Air Vvebb recording their dissent.