NEW EDUCATION BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17622, 8 November 1920, Page 8

NEW EDUCATION BILL.

AUCKLAND CRITICISMS. | REPLY BY THE MINISTER. [BT TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON, Saturday. Wjth respect to the recent resolutions passed by the Auckland Education Board criticising the Education Amendment Bill, the Minister (the Hon. C. J. Parr) said to-day :—V The new Education Bill marks a distinct'"advance. The Auckland Education . Board ,- showed by its criticism the other day that some of its members did not at all understand the scope of the Bill, or how important its provisions really are. " The extension of the school age to 15 opens up great possibilities.' It la easily the largest reform achieved for 20 years. We shall now be able to stop in a large measure the leakage of 40 per cent, of our children from-the schools who do not reach' standard VI. This is perhaps the most serious weakness in our present system. But more important still, we. hope, with the help . of tnis additional year, it will be now possible to recast and readjust the elementary course, so as to make it, as ..it ought to be, the preparatory training in a properly co-ordinated system, extending from seven to 15 years of age. Abe new director will now have great opportunities in this direction. , "The Act will assist in getting at the root of our great problem of retardation, a matter J propose to discuss with all the inspectors in- Wellington early next year. It provides a complete new system of staffing and salaries for all the technical and high school? throughout the Dominion. This, in itself, should make the measure quite notable from the high school standpoint. Also, the grading clauses will bring about the great reform teachers have for years unavailingly demanded, namely, a Dominion promotion scheme. The 'best man ought to get the best job, no matter What board district the teacher may. live in. This means the abolition of the pernicious watertight compartment policy. The Auckland Board deserves credit for adhering to the grading system. It further means the loss of' some patronage by some of the education boards, but this will eventually be a great gain to the teaching profession, and immeasurably raise its status as a Dominion service. " The placing of the scholarship issue on a proper basis is a reform the Auckland Board has advocated for years. I regret no acknowledgment was made by. the board that tne Government- has bad the courage to say at last that the State purse must .be for the State school only. Other sections all, mark interesting and important changes. Objection was taken, in Auckland to our' effecting the staffing and salary changes for the high schools bv regulations.* This objection has little to support it in this case, whatever force there may be in the general objection to legislation by regulation, In this instance we are introducing a completely new system for secondary schools, involving many i classes, and rather complex and technical I details. - These cannot be put into a statute. The new svstem is necessarily tentative and experimental. Practice , may early disclose some weaknesses involving the necessity for readjustment, from time to time.- Regulation!, under which necessary changes can speedily be mode | are clearly appropriate. A fixed statute | can only be • changed once a year, and i then with difficulty. Moreover, in no country in the world are salaries of teachj ers fixed by statute. Everywhere regulations are Used for this purpose. Lastly, J the secondary school teachers, who are most concerned inform me that thev prefer regulations to the statute. Before condemning the department, critics should have made themselves acquainted with these facts."

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