NO RECOMMENDATION

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21548, 30 October 1944, Page 4

NO RECOMMENDATION

RELIGION IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE DECISION (P.A.) CHRISTCHURCH, Oct. 30. After spending the whole of Wednesday afternoon and the greater part of Saturday morning on the subject of religion in education, the education conference on Saturday morning found that it. could make no recommendation. A motion by Mr. A. B. Grant, of the federation of Labour, that the conference reaffirms its continued belief in and support of the present system of free secular and compulsory education in New Zealand opened a lively discussion. An amendment requesting the Minister of Education to set up a consultative committee to in vestigate and report was lost by Ih< narrow margin of 39 votes to 37 Many of the delegates refrained frorr voting. The discussion was brought to a close by the carrying of ar amendment stating that on the sub iect of religious education there wn insufficient representative authoril' and not sufficient growth of unity in the community for the conference h make any pronouncement or recoin mendation. The committee set up last Wednesday to bring down a report sat. I'm many hours and finally submitted tc the conference a recital of the present position and the working, of the Nelson system without makhu any recommendation. The committee suggested in connection with the proposal to legalise the Nelson system that before any legislation was enacted that a conference should ,br called by the Minister of representatives ol' the Education Department education boards. New Zealand Educational Institute, and churches. This conference, it was suggested, should consider the form of any proposed legislation, the determination of ar agreed syllabus of instruction, and the method of accrediting instructors.