EDUCATION BOARD CONFERENCE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 244, 28 September 1922, Page 3

EDUCATION BOARD CONFERENCE

! DIFFICULTIES TN ADMINISTRATION. ii Wellington, September 27. l - The Dominion conference of Educa- • tion Boards opened this morning. Mr. ■ T. Forsythe, presiding, said the object e of the conference was to smooth out i the real difficulties in administration, f The legislative side would not be discussed as there was no prospect of alterations of the Act at present. L Mr. Caughley said he had. during the year, mot nearly all the boards to L ' discuss administration, with a results' ant better understanding. More time ■ would be available for this now an Assistant Director had been appointed. . Unless something extraordinary happened there will be no amending edu- ? catjon legislation this session. 1 1 REMITS AND RESOLUTIONS. A FULL ORDER PAPER. Wellington, September 27. At the Dominion Conference of the Education Boards, opened to-day the ‘ following remits were dealt with: — 3 Remits were passed in favour of the - Department supplying boards with de- - tails of alterations before they were . gazetted; recommending the Depart- , ment to divide the school year into " three terms instead of four quarters, and to synchronise holidays so that when the scale of salaries is again revised special allowances be provided, • and when a superannuated teacher is , temporarily re-employed the total 2 emolument shall not exceed the salary I he would have received had he not re- , tired; that an honorarium shall be provided for the chairman of education boards. The conference passed a motion I amended several times as under: — • “That this conference protests against [ the increased tendency to government by regulation that has obtained during recent years, and urges that the Act and regulations be consolidated.’* ’ Other resolutions and remits passed 1 were:— That where capitation payments are - fixed annually hr manual training - classes, agriculture, etc., the rate be ; announced early in the year in order that boards may be in a position to t estimate their revenue and to deter4 mine their expenditure accordingly; that the present practice of the Dej partment in fixing such rates when the year is practically over is unbusinessi hke, unfair, and contrary to the provisions of the regulations which require the rates to be fixed at the bet ginning of each school year. , That in view of the general increase } that has taken place of late years in ' the cost of all services, the reduction made in grants to education boards r for ordinary purposes was not justi- ’ tied and that the conference respectfully ask the Minister to restore the h former grants. r That the clause of the Act dealing with the payment of subsidies on pub- ' lie voluntary contributions in aid of > schools should clearly provide_for the I payment of such subsidies on contrit butions for the purchase of materials and equipment fur recognised British | school games. . That the requirement that over-ex-penditure from a special fund must j be recouped at the end of each year - from a board’s general fund and that \ any saving effected in the same special . fund in succeeding year or .years may not be used to repay the general fund . is inequitable. That the schedule in connection with , the school fund allowance should be on a minimum basis, but that the allow- ’ ance should be on a maximum basis in order to give education boards power , to adjust payments in favour of committees encountering special disabilii ties. That the manual and technical funds be amalgamated. That special audit inspectors be appointed solely for the accounts of education boards ,secondary schools, and technical schools, and that the audit inspection be continuous. 'ihat< the 'boarding .and .training allowance payable to pupils in the secondary departments of district high schools be payable also to pupils of’ secondary schools and to technical high schools. That the condition respecting the payment of an allowance to children riding on horseback to school that the road must be impassable or dangerous for wheel traffic without respect to the age or ability of the driver be relaxed to the extent of making the allowance payable ii the road is dangerous for children to drive over. That the building maintenance fund be not charged with the cost of installation of sewerage. That the Education Department be urged to pay over to education boards all moneys as soon as they become due. That the Education Department be asked to make an addition to the regulations providing for the payment of the removal expenses of teachers in any case where it is necessary to effect the transfer of a teacher in the general interest of a school. That in the opinion of this conference it is essential that school requisites, such as copy books, drawing books, exercise books, etc., should be supplied to education boards in order that they might sell them to parents at cost price.

I hat in the opinion of this conference all necessary expenditure in connection with students practising at an associated school should be refunded by the Department. That the conference is of opinion that it would be a retrograde step to place school building works under the control of the Public Works Department. as has been suggested, as such a change could only be made at very ; great cost and without any compensating advantages. The conference resumes to-morrow.