The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Hangatoki, Kapbnga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley. THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1914. IMPROVING THE STATUS OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 29 January 1914, Page 4

The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Hangatoki, Kapbnga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley. THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1914. IMPROVING THE STATUS OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

The original Education Act did not give much power'to school committees, and during the earlier years of its administration, there was a somewhat general disposition to belittle those useful bodies. This was due to an opinion that the men who were most commonly elected to the committees knew little if •anything of education or of the spirit of public duty, and that they were somewhat apt to worry a really good teacher through lack of sympathy or to stand up for an inferior or even an incompetent man, so long as he truckled to their ignorance or humored their personal or local prejudices. Perhaps here and there •throughout the country there may have been, now and then, instances of this undesirable state of things, and, indeed, at the recent meeting of the Education Institute in Auckland more than one teacher indicated that the evil still lingered on in out-of the-way places. One delectable instance was that of a teacher having been boyootted by his committee because he refused to drink with them at the local public-house—purely an excellent reason for his promotion with honor, and for their .ignominious dismissal from office., But in cases of the kind, the difficulty may be greater than it appears to'be at first sight; for it not infrequently happens that committees are practically self-elected, and though this may' to some extent be dve1 to lack of public spirit in other residents, it is nevertheless a fact that the mode of election under the Act does not encourage the exercise of the democratic spirit in school districts. This fact was frankly recognised by the Auckland Education Board at its last meeting. "In view of the fact that the Minister of Education is preparing an Education Bill for next session, we ought to acquaint him with the fact that a great many complaints come in from time to time about the election of school committees," said Mr G. J. Garland, the chairman, who went on to suggest, further,' that if, instead of the present system, a given roll were prepared for each disfcri-jt, showing the names of all householders having children attending school'within the area, matters would be mov'3. satisfactory. He also considered • tb^t i scft.ol coiainittjee.,. election shoilJ 'c run on lines similar to that of (s-ay) a council election, a whole "day being set aside on which people could voiel At the present time people went in and voted at the meetings of householders, even though they had iio children and no legitimate interest in the election. They just had to say they resided in the area, and the-re-turning officer, was obliged to give them a, ballot paper." Perhaps Mr Garland pushed the matter rather far here, for it cannot be a bad thing for every householder, man or woman, to have" a voice in the election of such a useful local body as a school conv- : mittee, for it does not follow that householders who are without children at a given election will always be without them, or that they should, in any case, be uninterested in. education or the enlightened supervision of local school work. But the idea of a school district electoral roll, and of the election being conducted during the day, is excellent, and well calculated to improve the status of a school committee as a public institution. As Mr Garland says, "if it were not for school committees the Education Act would be very deficient, and a great dear of work that is done voluntarily by them would have to be paid for." For these and other reasons, he is right in maintaining that the committees should be elected in a proper democratic manner, with a view to encouraging the best men in every school 1 district to become members. It is | pleasing to note, too, that' the chairman of the Board -was supported by other members, oaeKof whova suggested that if women could vote during the day, much greater interest would be taken in the election of school commitr tees, and the "packing" that now too often takes place in connection »v/.tH the annual meetings of houesholders would receive a salutary rhic'.c. A second member expressed the, opinion' , that, in many instances, the areas over which, committees had jurisdiction were altogether too small, as some committees were elected merely to administer a school of about twenty pupils; while a third suggested that* members of school committees should perhaps receive some payment for their services. It was the chairman's proposal, however, that was chiefly before the meeting; namely, that there should" be school. district electoral rolls, and that the poll for the election of committees should be held during the day. The Board appointed a committee jto draw up a report on the subejct, and the committee's recommendations; and the Board's decision with regard .to them, will be looked forward to with interest in other parts of the Domin-