THE EDUCATION ACT.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 12, Issue 951, 13 June 1868, Page 2

THE EDUCATION ACT.

Ihe proposed Education Act came on for a second reading on Thursday. It met, however, -with very little support, at the hands of members, -who, while generally admitting the necessity of a rate, took grave, objections to the action of the bill in -other respects, as likely ; to be pernicious, if not to render the measure wholly unworkable. The Government, who were not wedded to the bill, made no objection to the postponement till Tuesday of the, second reading, which is tantamount to its being shelved. A new bill, however, is a necessity, and with the view of framing one upon a souind basis, Mr. Ferard has given notice of a series of resolutions, which will be found below, and to which we invite attention. Another member (Mr. Wood) in view of the not improbable contingency that the views of members upon a completely new bill will not be matured this session, has given a notice of a different nature, which we also append. The subject will again come on for discussion next Tuesday, till when we trust it will be carefully considered in all its befirings. A letter upon the general question, from the pen of the Bishop of Waiapu, will be found in another column : — Mr. Ferard to move — 1 . That it is the general interest of the inhabitants of this province , that every child therein should receive education, and that for that purpose i* or tion s .of ihe. ord j i_arx.xe venu e of the province may be properly appropriated, or a general rate, if necessary, made. 2. That any general rate should be a uniform rate upon every householder in the province. 8. That the prooeeds of a general rate should not necessarily be spent in the several districts of the province in the exact proportion in which it waa raised therein respectively ; but provision should be made for affording extra assistance to the poorer and more thinly populated districts. 4. That the establishment of schools, and their efficient conduot, when established, would be promoted by entrusting a large share of the management thereof to the inhabitants of the locality in which such sohools may be situated. 5. That a general supervision overall sohools receiving aid from publio funds, shouid'be exeroised by some central body, in order to Bee that the funds contributed by the province are properly expended, and that the teachers are persons properly qualified in respect of knowledge and moral character. 6. That it should be a condition of affording Government aid to any sobool not hitherto in receipt thereof, that it should be open to all ohildren, without respect of religious creed ; and that the weekly fees for each ohild should not exceed a certain fixed sum. 7. That, whilst this Council recognizes tho importance of religious education, it also respects liberty of conscience, and considers that it should be a condition upon which Government aid should be granted to any school, that religious instruction should be given at the beginning or cud of school hours, and that all parents who might object to the same should bave liberty to withdraw their children therefrom. 8. That the management of all reserves for tho general purposes of education, aud the distribution of rates aud moneys appropriated by tho Council for such purposes, should be entrusted to the management of a small central board, the members of whioh should receive no salary, ancl be appointed and removable by the Superintendent, with the advice and consent of his executive counoil. 9. That, until suoh Board be appointed, the powers thereof should be exercised by the Superintendent and his executive council. 10. That the Central Board should decide on the necessity of establishing any new educational district within the province ; grant aid towards the erection and repair of schools, and extra assistance to established schools when required ; grant certificates to teachors upon being satisfied of tbeir knowledge aud , good character; sco that schools are kept in a proper state of repair, and that all accounts and returns required by law from managers of schools, are properly furnished ; appoint an inspector for the examination of the schools ; and generally supervise the education of the province. 11. That a fixed proportion of the moneys applicable to general purposes of education should be applied to assisting the erection and repairs of common schools and teachers' houses ; to giving extra aid to schools in thinly populated districts, or in providing travelling sehoolu. asters in districts too sparsely populated to maintain a school house with resident master; to granting gratuities to schoolmasters for extra efficiency of school ; to the purchase of books and school apparatus to be sold to the local managers of schools at cost price ; to the payment of an inspector; and to defray the general expenses of the Central Board. " 12. That the remainder of the sums applicable to general purposes of eduoation, should bo distributed quarterly to the managers of common schools and denominational schools complying with the requirements of tho Educational Act, by way of capitation money, in proportion to the number of children educated in tho several schools respectively, to be applied by the managers in payment of the teacher's salary. 13. That the capitation money granted to any school shonld be calculated upon the daily average attendance of scholars, and a proper register of the daily attendance of Bcholars kept ; and that a return of such daily average attendance during every quarter should be furnished to the Central Board within a certain fixed time after the expiration of such quarter; and any school not 1 furnishing suoh return in proper form within

the time fixed in that behalf, should not be entitled to share in the moneys available for distribution for that quarter. 14. That in every school receiving Government aid, instruction Bhould be given in reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic), geography, and the outlines of English and New Zealand .history^ and, in the oase of girls, where there is a schoolmistress, needlework. 15. That if the Inspector should, upon examination, ire port any-; school .to. be .ineffi* oiently taught in the required subjects of instruction, the Central Board should have power to withhold the whole or a portion of the capitation money (otherwise payable to suoh school. . .-''..-;-.- ' 16. That, when any, considerable number of tbe inhabitants of ab'jr distriot shall make application to the Central Board for the formation of a new educational distriot, and the Central Board is of opinion that suoh a course is desirable, and the distriot able to maintain a school, they should call a' publio meeting of the householders of suoh district, and appoint some person to act as chairman thereof, and to explain to the meeting, the provisions of the Education Act j and if the majority of the persons present at suoh meeting are desirous that such educational district should be formed, they should 1 proceed, to the election of persons to aot as local managers of such district. 17. That, if the proposed looal managers can satisfy the Central Board that suffidiehtfunds will be found for the erection and maihtenanoe of a common sobool, the Board should recommend to the Superintendent that suoh educational district should be formed ; aiid the same should be f orbed by proclamation by the Superintendent in the Gazette ;' and the persons- chosen to ,v be looal* managers should become local managers thereof until the appointment of their successors. •- -18. That the Superintendent should have power to constitute an educational district around each common school now existing in the province. 19. That the sites of all common schools and teachers' houses should be vested in the Superintendent. 20. That ODe-half of the local managers should be changed annually, at a publio meeting of householders of the distriot; 21. That the local managers should proceed to the erection bf a common school, and should have the general management thereof and of the funds coming thereto ; the power to appoint and remove teachers, and to fix school fees and salaries, and to excuse parents from payment of fees on account of poverty. 22. That the salary to a teacher of a common school should not be less than a certain fixed sum. . 23. That the aid to be granted by the Central Board to erection and repairs of a common school-house should not exceed a certain fixed proportion of the whole expense thereof. 245. That the local managers should have the right to determine for what purposes tbe school-house might be used out of school hours. _ 25. That the nature of the religious instruction to be given in a conunon sohool should be determined by tho local manager's. 26. That in case the funds derivable from subscriptions and sohool fees should prove insufficient, with the aid from the Central Board, to defray the expenses of the common school, the local managers should have power to make a special rate upon the householders of the district. , t 27. That provision should be made for the proper keeping and auditing of the accounts of the local managers, and for the samo being open to tho inspection Of householders of the district. " " ; 28. That denominational sohools heretofore receiving Government aid should continue to receive capitation money, whilst kept in sufficient repair, and having teachers paid not less than tho minimum salary required for teachers of common schools, and reported by the inspector as efficient. 29. That new denomioational sohooly should be entitled to receive capitation money, if established not less than three miles from a common school. ' _. 30. That, _ in_jLQrtions of the province too spurselypopulatedtoihalßtainacottfmon school; the Central Board should have power to give capitation money aud extra nid for the support of a travelling school-master, provided tbat at least one half of his salary be guaranteed to him from other sources, and that somo suitable room be placed at his service at each plaoe which he -.hall be appointed to visit. Mr. Wood to move — That a select committee be appointed, to consist of Mr. Rhodes, Mr. A'Deane, Mr. Tanner, Mr, Perard, and the mover, to prepare an Education Act in anticipation of the withdrawal of iho ono now bofore the Council ; and that it be nn instruction to suoh committee to.jamend thi* Act now in force, first, by introducing a clause or clauses to provide for the^U-vying of rotes • second, by verbal emendations consequent thereon ; third, by such "other alterations as experience of the wortiug of the Act ' in past years may suggest to the mombers.