ADULT EDUCATION BILL: CRITICISM OF MEASURE

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 November 1947, Page 3

ADULT EDUCATION BILL: CRITICISM OF MEASURE

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 13. Several Opposition members criticised the Adult Education Bill, introduced by the new Minister of Education (Mr T. H. McCombs), the second reading debate on which was begun in the House of Representatives today. Several speakers referred to the special Maori representation on the National Council, claiming that this raised a sectional issue. They complained, too, that the Workers’’Education • Association. in spite of its importance, was only one ol many organisations fostering adult education and if it was given special privileges there was a possibility of the whole scheme’s being shipwrecked. The debate was adjourned. The Minister of Education (Mr T. H. McCombs) said adult education had reached the stage where adequate finance should be provided for its development. At present the grant for adult education was £51,000 a year. Mr AV. A. Bodkin (Opposition, Central Otago) said Opposition members of the Education Committee felt that, while they could support the bill, its application should cover a wider field. As agriculture was New Zealand’s basic industry no system of adult education would be complete unless there was provision for the study of that subject. A regional council should be set up to deal exclusively with Maori adult education, embracing health, hygiene, and associated matters. Mr M. H. Oram (Opposition, Manawatu) said that if the scope of adult education were to be broadenea the National Council must be kept truly national in character, that would not be achieved by providing for representation of the Workers Educational Association and the Maori. The W.E.A. appeared almost to have held a pistol at The head of the Government or of the Minister. Maoris were supposed to be tne equals of white people and could have no claim to special representation in a council of this nature. Mr Clyde Carr (Government, Timaru) said it did seem on the face ol it that it was a little ill-balanced that the W.E.A. as one of many organisations concerned witn _ adult education should be specially included in the National Council to the exclusion of others, but it must be ie membered that the W.E.A. in the past had done a great job and coulc not now be ignored.