OUR NATIONAL SCHEME OF EDUCATION. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 1583, 25 March 1882, Page 13

OUR NATIONAL SCHEME OF EDUCATION. TO THE EDITOR.

Sia,— The next part of the Act f wish to deal with is that Which determines the constitution anil duties of Education boards. With the constitution of boards wo havd no fault tv find, and the manner of electing members seems to bo a very fair ouo indeed. The annual -(retirement of one-third of the members is a splendid arrangement, giving 1 the public a frequent opportunity to expross its satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the members of tho board. This is a far bettor provision than tho periodic election, of the complete board, and ensures tho retaining of men upon the board who know something of its business, It is a great pity that this principle could not bo extended to all ou* forms of elective government. An immenso wiving in election expenses would thus be effected, ana that hunger for office so characteristic of Colonial parliaments, would bo effectually checked. Under the heading of "Duties and Powers of Boards," theifl are several things I take exception to. Education boards havo such an indefinite range of power granted to them that great temptation is offered theue bodies to become more legislative than educational. Law* making is but a phase of human weakness. Give any man the power and he will use 16, It but to gratify hf« innate vanity!. Man was made to rule, ana from the schoolboy in tho playground to the sovereign on tho throne, all like to use that prerogative. Unfortu> nately for the cause of education, some of the boardf have prostituted their powers to the framing of rulei, many ot which run oounter to the regulation! of th« department. The Otago Board has not been entire!/ free from guilt in this respect, but I think the South Canterbury Board has quite broken from allbondf, Some ot these bodies seem to think that they hurt been specially placed in power to rule, but being At * loss to know who are their legitimate subjects, their authority absolute must fall upon the schoolmMter. He, at least, is their servant, and consequently upon him they will practice their Heaven-given pow«r, Almost every meeting ot the board produces torn ' new regulation, and the teacher is threatened with fine it he neglects to carry out any of these arbitrary rules. But, further, the teacher is quite at the mercy of the board; he can bo dismissed the service for insubordination or disobedience, and should herefuia to obey any of the board's rules he may receive notico to quit. Herein all who look at the matter care* fully will see that the boards fail in their duties,,' which should be altogether educational. With, % central board to frame rules lot the ' guidance of both boards and teachers, both bodies would better know their respeotivo duties. Our own local board at the outset framed a complete code of regulations and instructions to teachers, many of which have Birice become a dead letter, because found unworkable. Still, these rules are law, and should the board have occasion to use 1 them it can do io. One rule in particular in some cases doals hardly with teachers, The board made a rule— though wo question if it had the power legally to do so- compelling teachers to hold an appointment one year before ap. plying for another. This, of couwe, was to put* check upon the frequent migration of teachers, and so far the rule is good. But 1 can point out, where the rule is a very hard one. The larger school! arc seldom in want of a head master, but occasionally one is in the market. Teachers, no matter what their qualifications may be, who have not been the prescribed time in their pre« sent positions are not allowed to apply. This is manifestly unfair. The board- has sufficient control over appointments to secure the best men for the best positions without any such rule. I have merely pointed out this one instance to show that boards with the powers they now possess may become mero legis. lating machines, and not what" they should be, the promoters of education.

Here, then, is another instance ol the Act's failure to secure uniformity ; for while boards have BUch in« definite powers thrust upon them they can scarcely be expected to work along the same linos. Alroady the country is beginning to grumble at the cost of eduoa« tion, and the reckless expenditure of some of the boards will by no means tend to cu r tail expenses. Both county councils and education boards are guilty of employing highly-paid ofli'CDrs ; aud when retrench' ment affected the education vote it in no wise affected the salaries of some of those officers, but the teacher again had to be the scapegoat. The number of board officials should be determined just as the teaching stall of a school is, viz., by the average number of children attending school in the districts; and the salaries of all paid officers should bo fixed by the central board. Were this done, a considerable saving in the working expenses of boards would be effected. If the Act is ever to be that. potent lever in the cause of education that it was intended to be, considerable amendment must be made in the administration of the Act. Our present sehemo of education i 3 but a huge experiment, which, nevertheless, must foim the basis of the education of the future. Let us set to work, then, diligently, and engrave upon our statutes those amendments which will oventually bring forth a most per/eec schomo. — I am. &c,

•F. A. J. Db Conpb,