SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17112, 18 March 1919, Page 9

SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Sir,— report of the discussion of the School Committees' Association on the attitude of the Educational Institute to school committees calls for comment. I wish to state that at the recent conference the institute was not discussing either " the usefulness of school committees " or " the intelligence of committeemen " ; instead, it was considering the setting up of a national education board for the general direction of educational affairs throughout the Dominion, and of education committees for local administration. The remarks complained of were introduced, so far as the members of the executive remember,

quite casually, and in a manner facetiously, by one of the speakers. It must be.remembered that neither the executive, nor the institute as a whole, is responsible for the expression of opinion by individuals, neither can it control such expression. The fact that no one took exception to the remarks of the speaker is merely an indication that no one considered his statements worthy of comment, either favourable or otherwise. Probably the remarks of the speaker who stated that " the average schoolmaster is the most ignorant man in the world '' were treated in the same manner at the meeting of the School Committees' Association. They were too ridiculous to call for comment. Every teacher knows that there are many earnest and capable men and women serving on school committees and finding very little scope for their enerev. The institute's proposal is that their enertry and enthusiasm should be made use of. and that they should have placed in their hands the administration of the educational affairs of their d strict. Instead of belittlin" the efforts of householder? who are anxious to assist in the administration of educational affairs, the institute desires that they should have means of performing their duties more effectively, taking a much greater responsibility than they have at present, and being encouraged to persist in their efforts by a feeling that what they are doing is worth while. C. R. Munro, President, N.Z.E.I.