EDUCATIONAL MATTERS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1732, 10 May 1905, Page 57

EDUCATIONAL MATTERS

SPECIAL MEETING OF DUNEDIN BOARD.

SERIES GF RESOLUTIONS. DUNEDIN, May 5.

A special meeting of tlie Education Board held to-day to consider educational matters passed the following resolutions :

1. That in the opinion of the Boa±d the centralising tendencies of the Education Department are inimical to the work of education in New Zealand, and that instead of Parliament diminishing the powers of Education Boards they should be extended on sound and economic lines.

2. That better provision should be made for conveying children to central schools in sparsely populated districts. 3. That the age limit of fourteen years for qualifying for obtaining free secondary education should be extended, as far as country districts are concerned. 4. That adequate encouragement should be given to induce our most capable youths to enter and remain in the teaching profession. 5. That in order to relieve the Department of those teachers who have passed their years of usefulness, a superannuation scheme should be passed by the Government. It was decided to forward the resolutions to the Minister of Education, local members of Parliament, and other Boards.

The pupil teachers regulations were considered, and it was decided to forward them to the Department for approval. _ The Chief Inspector reported having conferred with the Inspector-General, when alterations were agreed on. Instead of one entrance examination there "were now three. Those who began at the beginning on a four-year course had to pass the Board’s entrance examination, those who entered on the Civil Service examination were appointed as third year pupil teachers (serving three years), and those who entered upon the matriculation examination served two years. Then there was a reversion to the old order Avliereby a pupil teacher who failed twice in succession to pa-ss the Civil Service examination was dispensed with.

PALMERSTON, May 5. At a meeting of tlie Chamber of Commerce to-night a discussion took place on educational boundaries. The opinion was expressed that the southern portion, of the North Island boundaries should be readjusted with a view to giving better representation and preserving the community of interest which had been disturbed' of recent years by new developments of settlement and other causes. Mr Freeth moved in the direction of approaching tlie Government to constitute a new educational district with its centre at Palmerston North. In order to eiieci t.nis he suggested that the Wellington Education district should be restricted to the area extending to Eketahuna on the one side and Otaki on the other, the Hawke's Bay Education district to take in localities from Poverty Bay to Ormondville, tlie Taranaki district the area from New Plymouth to Patea, the Wanganui district the area between Patea and Marton, including Taihape and towns on tlie North Trunk Railway, and that the new district should radiate from Palmerston to Ormondville, Eketahuna, Marton, and Otalci respectively. It was resolved to discuss the proposal at a meeting of members of Parliament, which has been convened to consider local c/uestions on the 16tli inst.