The Controlling Authority.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 198, 22 February 1907, Page 2

The Controlling Authority.

It has hitherto been believed that the Education Board of a district. was tho controlling authority of educational matters in that district, but Mr Aitken, the headmaster of the Wanganui District High School, lias evidently come to tho conclusion th.it he is superior to any Education Board, and that unless a course he thinks advisable to take is exprer ly forbidden by the Act, tho Board nny go hang for all he cares about ; ts authority. Recently the Board decided to add an infant departm< -i»t to one of the Wanganui schools, 1 .it to defer doing the same in regard >:o Mr Aitken's school lor a more favourable opportunity. This deci.;>:i evidently did not coincide with Jlr Aitken's ideas, and failing to t • : i d any provision in the Education Actforbidding him to do as ho liked in the matter, he proceeded to c; 1 1 ry out his intentions in a manner worthy of tho traditions of the- great -st political opportunist. Ho would not invite tho parents to send tli; ir infants to his school, or would 7'ot even ask the pupils to bring tli-. ir little brothers and sisters — he <■::- plains his course of action in t'is way: — "I have heard there was a wish among some parents for t-ie admission of inf;i;i'. i to the scln .•!, and I wont to every class aud ask.'d all who had infant brothers and f-.i-;---ters to stand up. I told thrso to bring mo word next day, whether, hi tho event of an infant departn:* t being inaugurated at this sell- :l, their parents would wish to m <1 their children. Next day, a c :- siderablo number brought back a - wors, so!is<> of one child, others <>f two, others ni neighbours' < > hil<!;-. 1 :, and so on to ilio number of I told thorn that if thoy wore soct ] could not refuse them." T! is dodge resulted in the establishment of an infant class of 32 children. Mr Aitkon challenged the Hoard to ecupel him to send tho children ay. :<y after ho had admitted them, ;i .d nentioned tho terms of tho Ed a- !- tion Act as his standby. Tho Bosvd lost no time in taking up tho c!i:lIcugc, and ordered Mr Aitken 'o comply with tho instructions of t-:c Chairman at once, failing that a special meeting will bo held to consider tho advisability of giving him three months' notice of tho tormir.ition of his on^a^enwnt. Tlio only reason Mr Aitkcn urges in jus'"ideation of his action ■is that his . ttendanco had fallen, and if it c: itiniKnl he and his assistants would loso £10 a year and so on, each, .-t-d to counteract that ho had started n infant class. It was nothing to liiiii, of course, that his action would <!:•- i>rfve throe lady teachers of fi.-e times as much salary as ho vo^'d lose — tho main chance was his ii: it consideration. Of course, tho grout point involved is tho right of t!-.;^ Board to pres?ribe what standards shall be taught in a school, and s»s I that is an integral portion of tH 1 system of school government, it wo:: id be very pusillanimous on the psrt s;f the Board to allow thomsrlves to ': c broir-beateii oy those wiioso first iln'-y should be to work in harmony with the system of educational government.