THE SCHOOL CERTIFICATE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXXIII, Issue 275, 6 December 1899, Page 2

THE SCHOOL CERTIFICATE.

MISS; SDNLErs/AFTEB ALL! t T° j?*t,away fromthe tllegccy fit the stage we may be firgivnn for retorting ' to it, but the temptation way irresistible 4 . : last nijjlit the object if the mouter * gathering was the denunciation of that Bad Bold Man, lha Editor ofthV Mail," 7 .._; who had been eingted dot by Mr Graham ■' toe attack bocanse tlis paper had «/ rposed New Zealand Tammany by m«ana ' ot loojl illustrations. / It i»ill-l» remain. ■ \- bered that there oonsitted in th« appoint- • mentrfa nepuev of Mr Greharn' from'- '-%*: school to a position in th« Ptst and Tele-**"v" r < graph Department oyw the heads tpf|;gi*si other lads already jo the aerviae^ ami '$& i- s appointment 9I another te(aß?e.te*>ife^s^ on the railway line as :^m-^l»Smo^Sl thoi^th nieaic.l men d^a™ea^?(o hVs^>>: fitness fc^ the pubHoaerrice.wd ihbngh::Jhe neoeesacy eehool qhuutatd -ce^jfida^a&f :^S had not lieen atUined. : : Wp«t»*edi«teSS^^ von in lAhunioglrom M^MM^r,vmji- Tg^ ea4e4«rtiHcate. of to&i ttuK taare was no record ot;Uiß MisjdnK'i^fr-J-'t-'^" «te Mr Graham,p«)dModa3as( n ghf vaa •6t^;j.:rtT^rtß'piot'r;eVea?.ol»Ja ctandard

;, ta>'» letter, wbioh we again teprint, shoug iwwttuil cr how little this certificate is . Kpartt-how taooh it would be worth to anyone sot a i*lat ! ve of n Ministerial oemwt of Parliament or a political sapporter of Boes, Under- Boia, or party tiacr. j MISS SONLEy^S~BEPUrHA.TION. To THK EOITOtt OP TH* " EVENING MAIL.'' Sir—The- testimonial or so-called certificate which I gave to the lad David Gordon Burns I signed without verifying the fact that he had passed the Fourth Standard in the school records, but merely on the strtngih of the boy's and XisstiraJtam'* auertUm that he had dune **' GEOBGIANA P. SUNLEY, Head Mistress, Hampden-street School. Nelson, December 1, 1899. [ Ihe italic* are ours ] This was tbe Big Sensation - the dramatio display that bad called a great audience together— thit and tbe disclosure of a " Doctors' Conspiracy." How Mr Graham's ardent admirers and suppor ers must liave been bitter y disappointed to flod that alter all the great Lyddite Staell was aa empty bomb that had been already fired by tbe " Mail " note than a week ** o! • • • To back op the acceptance of thin bogta certificate as a qualification for employment, Mr Graham produced three orfour certificate)! in i»h ch teachers oth r iban head fc»*cherj had waned their names. By coineidroce— admittedly by eoincidsnoe, though it seemed strange— tbe aignatnie of tbe head teacher vat* somewhere or other on those certificates ; but it is clear that in tbe Nelson Toon School* at lean in the past the provision of the Order-in-Cuuocil has been neglected. A« already shown this proTides that :— " As soon as possible after the examination of a school the head teacher shall be furnished, in such manner as shall be ordered by the Education Board at district, with lists of the names of the scholars who have passed the several standards ; and thereupon the head teacher shali issue to every scholar who has passed a standard at the examination a certificate, in such form as the Board shall proacribe, showing that he has passed such standard." - Of late years, nowever, the regalktioa has beta 9twh mow strictly enforced. To thorn tbaUhe staling oC Standard eertifl«*te» by other thaa bead teachers alone Is ' aot deemed of trivial importance now, for the last twoy«sr» the power of certifying that a child law passed the Sixth Standard hs actually been taken away from thfl head teacher and vested in the Inspector aloae. Thus, the htad teacher, aad bo om aiWi can sign up to the Fifth Staadard. while a Sixu bUadard ceitifleate matt be signed by the Inspector. No on* knows the regulations be.Ur tban Mr Graham, oho has been Chairman of the Ton Schools Committee for many jean, . and be could not have accepted j His* Suley's certificate as r»Kd unl»» Le hac partie larly wanted to do so. We go farther, and My that tbe KaiUay IfepartoMOt would 'not have accepted the crrtißoate on a sheet of foolscap paper it the applicant had been other than a relative of a Miotater.al Member of Parli*. ment, or tbe relative of a political sup- j porter. j • * * As against tbe absence of rtourd in the - Educational Office; as against the obviously invalid certificate obtained from Miss tuaJey.-Mr Qr«ham could ocly brin* the proof «t acme boy, usnamei, who, he said, bad come to him anddeoared that be could have signed aa affidavit that the " • boy had passed at tbe sane time as himself I This is great proof and vindication indeed t No wonder Mr Graham* bomb failed to ex{l»de ! 1•. • •