EDUCATION BILL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 15 October 1924, Page 5

EDUCATION BILL.

IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS. MINISTER’S PROPOSALS. (By Telegraph—Special to Star.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 15. Although described hv the Minister of Education as a Bill dealing with administrative matters, an amendment to the Education Act contains some important proposals. The Hon. C. J. Parr explained when the measure was introduced yesterday that one clause will enable "technical and high schools to be administered by one body jn towns of 10,000 to 15,000 inhabitants, where there is no need for two authorities, often overlapping. This plan will be brought into operation after consulting the governing bodies of the schools concerned. The constitution of the Iroard will be prescribed by Order-in-Council, and provision made for representatives of parents as in the case of secondary schools, and of employers and employees as is prescribed for technical school boards. Another clause makes provision for junior high schools, which may, at the Minister’s discretion, be placed under an education board, a secondary school board, or a technical school board. Technical schools in the larger centres will, under another clause, be controlled by managers, without the superior control of an education board.

r A TEACHERS’ REGISTER. The Minister remarked that it would probably be surprising to members to know that there existed no provision for removing from the teachers’ roll any teacher, no matter how disgraceful had been his conduct. The Bill would authorise the creation of a teachers’ register, in which courge the leachers’ Institute concurred. All teachers to whom a certificate is issued, and all seeking employment in that capacity, would require to be enrolled and subject to adequate safeguards by way of right of aopeal. A teacher's name. could be removed from the register for gross misconduct. Education boards would be empowered to limit the attendance at any school, this provision being a means of preventing overcrowding. Among the minor clauses was one which would remove the bar existing on national scholarship holders of holding any other schdarship, even of small value.' Another clause makes it .clear that, provision for subsidies on local contributions is subject to Ministerial approval, a principle which applies to hospital subsidies. The Bill "also enables householders to nominate a school committee at an annual meeting Without prior notice where attendance on the roll does not exceed 240 pupils.