The Oamaru Mail. SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1299, 5 June 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 1880.

Although it has /"been announced : by th e Government that they have no intention this session of introducing a Bill to amend the Education Act, the Oamaru Schools Committee are apparently ..determined that their recommendations of . amendments shall be brought before' the Government and at leastthe members for the district. Nor do they stand alone in their desire for certain alterations in the Act—alterations that are rendered ribcessary in order to remove doubts upon certain points and to further the cause of education. A conference representing the Canterbury Schools Comihitfcees soni© tinie since met and determined that the Act required amendment in some of its details. In Otago no such conference has been held, but the Oamaru Committee boldly took the matter in hand, and prepared a report as to the alterations deemed necessary in the Act, and the wisdom of .which has been proved by the working of the present system during the time it has been in force. Copies of that report have been forwarded to a large number of the School Committees in Otago, more particularly in the northern portion of the provincial district, and it must be gratifying indeed to the; Oamaru Committee to receive from these; Committees letters of approval -of the proposed amendments, and promises of support.' :The Committee ;does-.not-pro-pose. any revolutionary alterations .in' the Act, but merely suggests several improve-; ments in its details, andit is quite possible that, even though the Government-may not deem it necessary to amend tfye Act, some private member may be found willing to undertake the task, more- especially asthe amendments suggested are prompted by experience and a thorough knowledge of the working of our educational system; We have previously published the Committee's report upon the question, and we need'not therefore dilate at length* upon the proposals it contains. We may, however, point out that one of tile chief recommendations ia the constitution of what maybe termed school electoral districts for the election of members of the Education Board. This principle, if adopted, wotild ! give to every portion of the education dis- | fcrict fair representation on the Board and a voice in the management of "educational ! matters. At present such a consummation cannot be obtained, because it is.in.the power of School Committees at one end of the district, by log-rolling and - combination, to return any candidate they like, to the exclusion of a representative from the other end, where there are fewer School Committees and votes are consequently not so • numerous. The principle sought to be brought into practice is a perfectly equitable one, securing the fair representation of ie.very community and the creation of a greater amount of interest in the doings of the Boards of Education.