STATE EDUCATION SYSTEM: NEED FOR AN OVERHAUL

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 August 1949, Page 3

STATE EDUCATION SYSTEM: NEED FOR AN OVERHAUL

WELLINGTON, August 24 (0.C.) —Two members of the House of Representatives discussed education in the Budget debate today, but on quite different lines. They were Mr W. A. Bodkin (Opposition, Central Otago) and the Minister (Mi- T. H. McCombs), who did not reply to Mr Bodkin’s points. Mr Bodkin said there was widespread concern among teachers at the trend of the education system in New Zealand. The Educational. Institute’s last conference had asked for a Royal commission to investigate the whole system and where a responsible body asked for that it suggested there was something wrong. A case could be made in support of the request, and he hoped that, if the Government did set up a commission, the order of reference would be sufficiently wide to allow investigation of the whole field of education. It could inquire if the time had not arrived for the abolition of the post of Director of Education. Many claimed that it would be better for education if a committe replaced the director. The whole question was so important that the Government should investigate to the full possibilities of a complete stocktaking and overhaul. Mr McCombs said that a recent survey showed that there was a shortage of 630 classrooms for schools. Contracts had been let for 370 and plans for most of the remainder were on the drawing boards.