SCHOOL HOLIDAYS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1510, 7 February 1901, Page 56

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS.

At last week’s meeting of the Education Board a letter was received from Mr W. Mowbray, headmaster of ,the> ■ Thorndon school, stating that he had disccyered, much to his surprise and chagrin, that he had been singled out as an abuser of school holidays, and that . he was subsequently held up to ridicule by the press. The writer went on to< say that there appeared to be an im- > pression on the minds of the members • o,f the Board who censured him that lie • had invented excuses to give holidays,and he (Mr Mowbray) proceeded to sayfi then that nothing could be further front-' the fact than that impression. The ex-" aminaticn holiday, he urged, was in vogue for years betfore it was adopted' at Thorndon school; St. Andrew’s Day was a gazetted Government hpliday, and" the Thorndon School Committee, by special resolution, invited the headmaster to observe it. The inspectors, who werethen in: charge of the school, advised that it should be closed till Monday, and the •' chairman of thei School Committee con-" curred therein. Mr Mowbray thenpointed out that a similar number of’" holidays had been observed at nearly all*’ the city public schools, and submitted ' that ho had made out a case in the fore-" going remarks: which should tend toacquit himself of the charges that had ,: been made against him. Mr Young expressed surprise that the chief inspector, ’ knowing the facts, should ha ye sat at" the last Board meeting without defend-" ing Mr Mowbray in the attacks which 5 were! made upon him by members of the Board. The Chairman said the whole" matter had arisen because of late years the committees, and Oven the masters themselves, had got into the habit ofclosing schools without the Board’s permission. In future that permission - would have to be obtained from either the Board or it’s chairman. The Board endorsed the attitude of Mr Blair.