Education Proposals Criticised

Northern Advocate, 30 March 1938, Page 7

Education Proposals Criticised

Criticism of the Education Amendment Act. 1937, as it affects high ‘school boards, was offered by the chairman of the Whangarei High School. Board, Mr H. C. Rishworth, at the meeting of the board last night. “The Minister of Education in his explanatory memorandum states that the purpose of the bill is to alter the administration of primary and postprimary education,” Mr Rishworth sgid. “The major proposals as affecting high school boards are: (1) The abolition of-all high school boards and the transfer of their • properties and powers to Education Boards; (2) the setting up of school councils in the place of the high school boards.

“A new education board district is to be constituted comprising the counties of Mangonui, Bay of Islands, Hokianga, Whangarei, Hobson, Otamatea, and Rodney to be called the Northland Education Board. The board for this district will administer primary secondary and technical education and will come into existence on January 1, 1939. Board To Be Elected. “The personnel of the education board is to be elected annually oh the following franchise:. Two electoral subdivisions termed) ah ‘inner’' and an ‘outer’ subdivision, are to be constituted and one member will be elected for each 3000 pupils or part within each subdivision attending public schools. “The election will be by the existing school committees, which . later become school councils. “A member from teachers, primary or intermediate schools in the educacation district will be elected by such teachers.

“A member for each 2000 high school pupils or part in respect of the inner subdivision. In the case of the Whangarei High School there will be only one member under this franchise for many years to come. A member from the teachers of high schools in the education district. Subject To General Direction. “It \yfll be seen that the numbers of. members on the new education board are dependent on the number of school children. With regard to high schools, it is clear that members representing such schools will be limited to two, one to be elected by high school boards later to become school councils, and one to be elected by the teachers of high schools. “The functions of the school council. which council is to replace the high school board, are hot worth discussing, as all or any powers of such council are subject to the general direction of the Education Board. “The only free exercise of authority of such council is to elect one member to the Education Board.

“These then are' the main proposals: One may well ask in what way are these proposals an improvement on existing conditions. , Annual Election. “The election of education board members and school council members is annual. This is not an improvement, There will be lack of continuity, and members will only*, be getting fully acquainted with board and council affairs when their term of office will expire and a new election may result in such members failing to secure re-election. "Admitting at once that the constitution of some high school boards, including our own, is obsolete, it would be simple to broaden the franchise on a popular basis and leave these boards to function- as at present. As school councils, the work done and interest shown in the affair of the school will naturally decrease, as men and women are not disposed to seek positions where nothing , very useful can be done without authority from a superior body.

/ Not An Advantage. “The new proposals will not be an advantage to our school. The members of the new education board will be much preoccupied attending to the requirements of some 2CO primary schools and the Whangarei High School will suffer accordingly. It is conceivable that the majority of the members of the new education board will not have the same interest in the High School as the present members of the Whangarei board, and may possibly be resident outside Whangarei.

“The school council for the High School will not' be able to deal with and finalise matters as the present board can do and the circumlocution which will necessarily follow will not be in the best interests of the school. The High School will, under the Bill, become just another school and the associations and traditions built up over a period of half a century will tend to be lost as also will its individuality. No Justification. “Such sweeping changes as are proposed should be justified and there is no justification as far as the Whangarei High School is concerned. “The Bill, if enacted in its present form, will add to the cost of administration, will not simplify the present administration nor tend to any more efficient administration, and will —which is all important—result in the High School receiving less individual attention and interest than now obtains. Another weakness in the constitution of the new board is that the Old Pupils’ Association is not recognised, and, unless it is given representation, its activities will dwindle and the association will pass out of existence.

“Little to Co-ordinate.” “ ‘Co-ordination’ is a blessed word resembling that of ‘Mesopotamia,’ but the question of co-ordination does not come into the matter. “The primary and secondary schools exist apart today conducted in different buildings on different properties in different localities and under different teachers and different committees and boards. The new Bill will not and cannot alter this and there is little if anything to ‘co-ordinate’ in the administration. One wonders what is the reason for the change. “The matter of expense is important and it cannot be suggested that administration under the Bill will be less expensive than at present. Most probably it will be more expensive.”