FREE PLACES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8367, 1 March 1913, Page 8

FREE PLACES

PUPILS EXCLUDED COLLEGE GOVERNORS DISCUSS THE POSITION. Recently a number or pupils who were entitled to tree places at the Girls’ College were unable to obtain admission owing to lack of accommodation, and the position was discussed at a meeting of tire Board of Governors yesterday. Mr Barber asked if it was not a fact that some schools had an advantage over other schools by getting their pupils enrolled.

The chairman (Mr A. do B. Brandon) said ho had no knowledge of anything of the kind. The secretary said that they did not know what schools they came from. A parent came along, and they took down th© name irrespective of the school.

Mr Barber said the pupils of up© school were enrolled in a body. Inis was a very important question, and he would like to know how many pupils were in the girls’ school who were not qualified to tho same extent as those who had secured proficiency certinTh© chairman: I cannot tell you offhand.

Mr Barber: There was a case recently brought under my notice where a girl obtained the highest marks of any pupil in th© Upper Hutt district, and yet is excluded from the school, and her place is taken by girls receiving > primary education. The chairman said the matter was putting them .in a very difficult position, as they were discussing a subject which was not properly beiore them. Mr Barber: A letter we received from Miss McLean, principal of the Wellington Girls’ College, brings th© matter before us. Mr Lee said he had a motion to bring before the board in regard to this matter which bore on the ruture. In reply to Air Barber, the chairman said it would he better if he asked for a return concerning the pupils at the conclusion of the business. The chairman, later moved that the discussion on free places should bo taken in committee, and stated that his reason for proposing this course was that they had not yet come to any conclusion on tho subject, and that the discussion was necessarily one-sided. There were two sides to the discussion, and on one side or the other the statements might dr might not be exaggerated. His opinion was that only , a portion of the discussion appeared in the .public press, and that meant letters of all kinds and opinions appeared afterwards. .When the board_ arrived at its conclusion it should be given credit for arriving at it fairly and ■ straightforwardly, and if . the conclusions ot the board were going to be criticised because of the abbreviated report which appeared in the papers the board would be unfairly treated. It was inadvisable that discussion on the internal management of the institution should be given out to tho public. Ail matters affecting the internal working ot tho board and free places should be strictly private. They should give the results to the public and let them term their own opinion. , Mr Barber said he thought one ol tho chairman’s arguments was m la. vour of the discussion being m open board, and that was where he remarked'that there were two sides to a question. One side had already been published, and why not the other . He disagreed with the chairman in Hus matter, for it was one of great public m tere S chairman: action will be of great public interest. . . ~ , Air Barber: I hold this opinion—that according to law any child who qualifies at the present time m entitled to higher education and an effort should be made to give her that education. At least fifty are excluded, and whatever happens the public are entitled to Miss Richmond said th© public were entitled to know the position and she agreed with Mr Barber that the matter was of grave public concern and interest, and they had every right to know the Board’s conclusions; but it was a matter of internal policy as well and it would perhaps bo better to discuss it in committee. It would be much less formal, and many opinions could be brought forward that could not he discussed in open board. , Mr Lee thought it was their duty to discuss the matter in open board. They had nothing to fear from criticism. He always felt that for anything one said or did one should not fear criticism. He did not think they had anything to stand out against. The chairman: I have no objection to criticism whatever, but in a preliminary discussion there are a number of things raised. Mr Field said that if there were any private matters to bo discussed they should take them in committee. The chairman said the position seemed to bo that in the course of carrying out the regulations of the Government and the Board of Governors in respect to the admission to free places a certain number of children had been admitted and a certain number had been excluded. One did not know how little the officials of the school would he concerned in the admission or rejection. They were not discussing the number of free places, hut they proposed to discuss certain details in connection with the admission and rejection of pupils, ..and in that possibility he did not know whether Miss McLean’s actions would be under review. Possibly the action of the chairman might be under discussion; possibly the action of any member of the hoard, hut where it was the action of the individual then it was part of the internal working of the concern which was under consideration and that, he submitted, was absolutely a private matter for the hoard. If any member of the board could not admit that private concerns were to he considered privately he rather gave himself away to the criticism of jlie press, which made everything as public as possible. He was prepared to take all the criticism the press could give him, because he was satisfied, no matter what the institution was, where there was a governing body that' body should manage its affairs according to the judgment of members without being weighed in my way by anonymous matter that appeared in the newspapers. Air Barber said there was nothing he knew of why the discussion should he taken in committee. The chairman said it was quite likely Miss Ale Lean would he asked to attend the committee meeting, and no time would be lost in holding it. Whatever conclusions they came to would be announced later. Mr Barber reiterated that he thought the discussion should he in open board. The chairman said the public would bo given their decision if the meeting was held in committee. A chancellor had once remarked; “In giving decisions do not give your reasons. Alay be your decisions are right but your reasons wrong.”

Air Barber asked if he could move for a return to bo laid on the table showing the number of preparatory pupils at the Girls’ High School,, but the chairman thought it would be better if this was brought up later. The board then went into committee, and subsequently adjourned till Friday next, when the matter will bo further considered.