CLASSIFICATION OF SCHOOLS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10417, 20 July 1895, Page 3

CLASSIFICATION OF SCHOOLS.

At yesterday's meeting of the Education Board the schemes of classification of schoola and positions proposed by Mr Cohea and the Honi J. MacGregor were again considered. There were present upon the occasion the Chairman (Mr H. Clark), Messrs Cohen, Fraser, Borrie, and M'Kerrow.

Mr Cohen, who made a lengthened explanation of his own proposals, and went into a datailed criticism of those brought forward at the last meeting by the Hon. Mr MacGregor, formally moved the adoption of the formar, intimating bis intention of moving in .-.the committee 6tage, »s it woald be convenient to consider the clauses seriatim, a number of amendments, the effect of which would bo to render the scheme more workable and more satisfactory.

Mr Bobhie seconded the motion pro forma. There were two or three things in the scheme as proposed hs did not agree with. The principal tfeing that he disagreed with was tha selection of the committee, and one of the other things that he did not altogether agree with was clause 32, which reads: "No teacher shall be promoted except to a class higher than the class from which he is promoted."

Mr Fbaseb said he approached the subject •with considerable diffidence, for he confessed that although he had given considerable attention to it he felt that his grasp of it was not nearly so firm as Mr Cohen's. At the outset he might say that whatever the issua of the scheme might be the board was under the deepest obligation to Mr Cohen for the very great trouble he had taken in connection with the matter. His scheme had much ia it that was admirable.—(Hear, hear.) As to Mr HacGregor's proposals in connection with the matter he (3Sr Prases) thought that the value of them was largely discounted by his change of front; and so:/far as those proposals were concerned he (the spaaker) "wiped the state." Tue question he asked was, Was any present change necessary ? It was unusual for him to act even as a drag in connection with proposed reforms, but he; confessed he had a feeling of great uneasiness in connection with this matter —an uneasiness largely born of ignorance ;— and he asked himsalf, ia' a question of this kind, where there was sucn considerable difference of opinion, was ib necessary: that they should immediately make so wide a departure ? There was no doubt th&t committees, with very few exceptions, discharged their duties loyally so far as education was concerned. He noticed that month by month and year by year committees fell back in their appointments on those most highly qualified. In certain cases personal local influence would overbear that; but in the great majority of cases committees selected those who possessed the highest qualifications.' If, therefore, it weiN? not for the inequalities worked by the present method of appointments there would be no very great change necessary."