HIGH SCHOOLS CONTROL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18352, 16 September 1921, Page 2

HIGH SCHOOLS CONTROL

PRESENT SYSTEM UPHELD. AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION. Tho proposal of Mr W. R. Brugh that control of the Otago Boys’ and Girls’ High schools should be handed over to the Otago Education Board, that the Board of Governors should be disbanded and a committee elected biennially, gave rise to another prolonged discussion in the High School Board yesterday afternoon. The chairman. Dr Pulton, presided over the meeting. The special committee sot up to consider Mr Brugh’s motion reported as follows : We have considered Mr W. R. Brugh’s motion regarding the control of secondary schools, and have decided that we are unable to recommend the board to agree to the resolution proposed. Mr Brugh and Hon. D. T. Fleming dissenting from this decision. Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., who presented tho report, said that the question was what advantages were to be gained from tho alterations proposed. Apparently it was admitted that there would be no monetary saving. There could be no alteration in the teachers’ salaries because these were now fixed by the department. It was not a question of securing free education for the scholars because that also had been given. In Australia recently he had had opportunity of examining into the educational systems in the various States. In Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria central departments controlled both primary and secondary schools without the intervention of anybody. Committees were being appointed with very small powers for primary schools, but he doubted whether committees for secondary schools were yet appointed. Secondary school teachers were included among the ranks of the primary teachers, : but here it was considered a desirable thing that

teachers in secondary schools should have special qualifications for secondary work. For one thing a higher standard of scholarship was necessary. 'What made him hesitate more than anything else in supporting Mr Brugh’s proposal v 5 the severance that it constituted in the past history of the school. He quoted the case- of the Sydney Grammar School which _ received large Government subsidies, but in which there was no attempt made to interfere with its constitution. Other Australian secondary schools were in a somewhat similar position. The constitution of the Otago High' Schools dated back to • the days of the Provincial Council, the original provision being made for them as far back as 1861. They wore pioneer institutions. They had almost reached the maximum of scholars they ought to take, and other secondary schools would have to be established in this district. The question might be raised in regard to them as to whether it was desiraele to let the Education Board control them, but he objected to any disturbance of the present school with all its history behind it. Professor Thompson seconded the motion for the adoption of the report, and said ho did so from the point of view of education pure and simple. We had long gone past tho time when education was regarded simply as the amount of information that a hoy or girl could get. There was a great chasm between primary and secondary education. Their methods were totally dh.fer t, If you applied, the methods of 0.. to tho other you injured both. To suggest that anyone whose main interest was to control primary education could also control secondary education without doing damage to it, was, he thought, not borne out by experience. In the secondary schools boys and girls were just maturing, and instead of looking, at life through the eyes of teachers they looked at it for the first time through their own. The most severe reproach that any man could give to a university was that its methods were those of the secondary school. In the same way the most severe reproach to a secondary school was to say that its methods were those of the primary school. Education and instruction were totally different things. To build up a boy’s character it was_ necessary to' give him some ideal, and it had been found in the Old Rand that there was nothing in the world like inspiring a boy or girl to maintain the honour and prestige and history of his or her own school. If boys and girls got the idea that they were governed by the same body that governed primary schools they would lose all this reverence

for their school. Speaking purely from an educational point of view he was absolutely certain that the proposed change would be a retrograde and a disastrous step. Its effects would not be seen for a generation, _ and then it would be too late to alter it.'

Mr d. M. uanaway saia iimt uie onus of proof must lio on those who wished to introduce a novelty. He understood now there would be no monetary saving, and that there was no real reason from a educational point of view, though there might be some from an administrative point of view, why the change should be made. Every argument for the abolition of the High Schools’ Board seemed to him equally applicable to the abolition of the Education Board. It seemed to him a desperate pity if men who were willing to give their attention to the work of educational institutions were to bo deprived of the opportunity. It could only be these who did not take much part in the work of their various committees who could be ignorant of the work actually done by the Hign Schools’ Board. Though he was very much obliged to Mr Brugh and Mr Fleming for having brought the matter 'up, he was not prepared to support their views on the subject Mr W. H. Brugh said this was the first opportunity he had had of answering the arguments that had been brought forward against their proposition. It was riot till he heard the fewness and the •futility of these arguments that he realised how strong their case was. In some unaccountable way Mr Callaway, the nominee of the .central department, took the view that passing over control to the Education Board was further centralisation, though the Education Board was actually the one body in this district that always fought centralisation. Mr Callaway knew that centralisation was a red rag to parochial bulls. In fact ho almost caused a stampede in the old boys’ paddock. There had been two bodies engagerf in the warfare on tins question of centralisation—the Teachers’ Institute had been fighting for it and the Education Board against it. Giving control to the Education Board was not centralisation. It was consolidation. In our city it was much easier for the central department to take a broken thread here and there and oen'traliso it than it would be to centralise one good united rope. Professor Thompson seemed to have realised now that they were administrators pure and simple. Professor Thompson was a recent addition to the board, and not thoroughly acquainted with it, but he was astonished at the Otago Daily Times following in the same strain. It should have known better. Any of them knew that the members of these boards wore not educationists at all. but were purely administrators. If they had been educationists, what applied to the High School years ago Would have applied still, and they never would have moved such a resolution. He did not sec any great force in Mr Sidey’s arguments. He was struck with the Pharisaism_ of Mr Sidoy’s reference to the ancient history of this school, which must not be touched; but if another school came along, he would hand it over to the Education Board. That was good enough for them! As to the methods in Australia wc did not know enough about them to form a judgment. In the midst of democratic Sydney, Sydney Grammar School was one of the most undemocratic institutions he ever heard of, the board electing its own members when one went off. Surely it must be only for want of knowledge on the part of the Domain orators that that was allowed to exist. He read resolutions recently carried by secondary school assistants aiid by the National Council of Education, proposing alterations in the administration of secondary schools. That was not what he had in mind, but it showed that the teachers realised that some change should bo made in the constitution of the Boards of Governors. * There was one argument of Professor Thompson that had been ridden to excess. It was .the esprit do corps argument. He could not see that the passing over of control from the Board of Governors to- the Education Board would make one iota of difference to the esprit do corps. The school carried its own conviction with it. lie was afraid there were only two arguments fighting against this resolution of theirs—the twin sisters prejudice and sentiment. He would lose the vote, he knew, but he could not help feeling that some day, when reason prevailed, it would bo different. Mr Gallaway complained that Mr Brugh had carefully'omitted to show any advantages that might follow from his proposal. Mr Brugh said that the Education Board had all the equipment and machinery necessary, and the onus was on the High School Board to show that it could do the work more expeditiously and efficiently. The Hon. D. T. Fleming said Mr Brugh’s motion had certainly opened the flood gates of discussion, and created unusual interest in the work of the board. Ho was satisfied that the time was coming when there would

be a unification of control of governing educational bodies. He thought whatever board had control should be directly elected by the people themselves. He never had much faith in a nominated body. He failed to see that any administrative change, such as they proposed, would have the effect of depriving the boys and girls of the High Schools of the proud traditions of the past. It was the high school itself that created the traditions, not the governing body. As far as he understood it we bad very little to learn in educational matters from Australia. Notwithstanding that their motion would be defeated, he was certain that some change was coming about with regard to their own and similarly constituted bodies, but he did not think that would lead to centralisation. Mr S.idey, in his reply, contended that Mr Brugh’s motion did lend toward centralisation, and said that in Australia he had been urged to try to prevent in New Zealand the centralisation that had taken place in Australia. The Chairman, before putting the motion, said that personally ho supported Mr Sidoy’s motion most strongly. The report was adopted, Messrs Brugh and Fleming dissenting. Mr Brugh, in informal discussion, afterwards said that ho would table a motion providing a different constitution! for the High Schools’ Board, and making some provision for women members.