“SOCIALLY INFERIOR.”

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 March 1911, Page 6

“SOCIALLY INFERIOR.”

THE HOME STANDARD FOR SCHOOL INSPECTORS. DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. [PEB PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, March, 22. There was an interesting and rather sharp debate in the House of Commons at last sitting on the subject of the requirements of the Department of Education in the matter ot the qualifications of school inspectors. The subject was brought up by Mr. Hoare, who referred to a report of the Department’s inspectors on the matter. The report to which Mr. Hoare referred is a circular issued by the Divisional Inspectors to the Educational Inspectors of the Education Department. The import of the circular is to deprecate the appointment of elementaary school teachers as Local Inspectors, the circular suggesting that they are “uncultured,” “imperfectly educated,” and “socially inferior.” The circular also claims that the Inspectors should be educated at either Oxford or Cambridge Universities, or ot the Public Schools. The Right Hon. Runciman (Minister of Education) said that he did not know of the issue of the document mentioned, which was a confidential one. It was merely the Chief Inspectors’ opinion on the matter .He accused Mr. Hoare of “raking out waste paper baskets at White Hale,” or “receiving stolen b °Mr. Balfour denounced Mr. Runciman’s violence, and invited him to apologise to Mr. Hoare.