EDUCATION CONTROL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19719, 19 August 1927, Page 14

EDUCATION CONTROL.

THE PROPOSED CHANGES.

AUCKLAND BOARD'S PROTEST

*• WHITTLING AWAY OF POWERS." The proposal to abolish education boards formed the subject of a statement made yesterday by Mr. A. Burns, chairman of the Auckland Education Board. "The proposal as outlined in the Herald is insidious to a degree," Mr. Burns said. "The suggestion is that school committees will have extended power and that appeal is made to them. Committees should bear in mind the old dictum, 'I fear the Greeks even when bringing gifts,' This, to the committees, is a mere sop. All recent history shows that every curtailment of the powers of either boards or committees has been initiated and carried out by officials of the Education Department. "To the board it is amazing that so radical a proposal should be made in secret. The light of day should be thrown upon every phase of the transaction. The board should be made aware of the data that will be submitted to the committee dealing with the matter in order that, if any rebuttal can be made, it shall be made. Instead of taking a clear and definite course in the eye of the public, the Minister sits enthroned in a majestic silence. "The Reform policy as enunciated has .. been against the principle of centralisation. If there is any State activity in which the peoplo themselves, the parents of children attending schools, have a direct interest, it is the control of the education system. It is possible that large centres of population may bring effective influence to bear upon a department. What could a dozen settlers in a rural district do without boards as their channel of approach ? They would be quite helpless. Instance after instance of undue delay in granting requests for a school in a country district can be laid at the door of the "department. Only the persistent effort of the board has finally overcome inertia and denial. "If boards" cannot be wholly abolished it is proposed to whittle away their powers and, as a first step, to place all buildings and maintenance under the control of the Public Works Department. The excuse given for the proposal is economy. The administrative cost of the architectural branch attached to the Auckland Education Board is at the rate of 2.4 per cent, of the capital expenditure entailed in the building operations undertaken, or, if the cost of maintaining over 700 buildings is included, the cost does not exceed 3 per cent., including all charges. "Moreover, the board's architectural staff is a highly specialised branch which carries the work out expeditiously from sketch plan through all stages of supervision to completion. If educational works are wedged in with roads, bridges and omnibus regulations, delay must inevitably occur. "Probably education department officials are the only people in New Zealand who would venture to attempt to bring about the abolition of boards by methods that do not afford the boards concerned an opportunity of stating their case. 'Star Chamber' 'methods have long since died. If thev possessed the knowledge of men of the' world they would realise that such tactics are unfair and un-British. In view of the methods pursued the board nas no appeal but to the public at large." « A RETROGRADE STEP." KOWIIAI COMMITTEES VIEWS. The Kowhai Junior High School at its meeting this week passed a resolution endorsing the action already taken by the Primary Schools' Committees Association regarding the proposal to curtail the powers of education boards and school committees. The chairman. Mr. A. A. Buckley, said it would certainly be a retrograde step if anything were done in the way of limiting the powers of boards and school committees. THE SELECT COMMITTEE. PERSONNEL ANNOUNCED. [BY TELiIGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Thursday The Select Committee sot up to deal with . education affairs consists of the Minister • of Education, Hon. It. A. Wright, Messrs. H. T. Armstrong (Christchurch East), H. Atmore (Nelson), C. E. Bellringer (Taranaki), T. Forsyth (Wellington East), P. Eraser (Wellington Central), H. Holland (Christchurch North), R. P. Hudson (Motueka), W. Jones (Marsden), V. H. Potter (Roskill), and T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South).