THE SCHOOL COMMITTEES CONFERENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2612, 6 April 1904, Page 12

THE SCHOOL COMMITTEES CONFERENCE.

REPRESENTATIONS TO THE MINISTER,

The following communication has been forwarded to the Minister of Education by Mr Win. Scott, president of the Dunedin and Suburban School Committees' Conference: —

Dear Sir, — I have the honour to inform you that at a» meeting of the Dunedin and Suburban Schools Committees' Conference, held at Dunedin on the 16th inst., the following resolutions, which I was instructed to forward to you, were carried unanimously.

1. " That this Conference protest against the proposal, carried by the school inspectors at their recent Conference, to amend section 46 of ' The Education Act, 1877/ by repealing the Bub-section dealing with, the powers of school committees in the appointment, suspension or dismissal of teachers ; such being, in this Conference's opinion, detrimental to the best interests of the schools."

2. " That, in the opinion of this Conf eren.ee, it is desirable to extend the powers of school committees, and that the ' consultation ' of school committees provided for in clause -45 of the Education Act in the selection of teachers should be altered to ' appointment ' by school committees, subject to a power of veto by the Education Boards if reasons can be shown for the exercise of such veto."

3. " That, in the opinion of this Conference, it is desirable that the entrancs test of free pupils to the secondary schools shall be an educational one, and not an age limit." 4. " Thai; it will be universally conceded that there can be no chance of satisfactory education unless the teachers are paid at least reasonable remuneration ; and this Conference again protests against the miserable pittances being paid to male teachers below the rank oi first assistants."

I was instructed to specially direct your attention to resolutions K"o3. 1 and 2. In reference to them it was contended that any interference with the powers now enjoyed by school committees must result in lessening, if not actually extinguishing, the interest taken by parents and householders in the welfare of their several school districts, and all matters pertaining thereto. In this connection the Conference would respectfully ask you to ponder the weighty remarks of Mr F. Tate, Director of Education in Victoria, when contrasting the working of the national system in Victoria and New Zealand respectively. He' has so well emphasised the value of " local supervision and local interest " that -we think nothing remains to be said on those heads. Upon being interviewed by a newspaper reporter, Mr Tate said, " That he was not yet in a position to formulate definitely his impressions, but one thing that had struck him very much in this colony was the great interest displayed by the public in education questions. He is strongly of opinion that no system of of education can be thoroughly efficient, nor can there be continuity in an education policy, unless the system is broad-basad upon intelligent popular appreciation. He feels that in Victoria one of the greatest obstacles in the way of the educational reforms which he seeks to introduce is the absence of a real and intelligent public interest in education. That is one of the results of overcentralisation. Parents and the public generally seem to regard the department as entirely responsible for the well-being of the schools, and, having no active control over the local school, they regard it as the State's school, not as " our " school.

Mr Tate is impressed, by the fact that in New Zealand one cannot take up the newspaper without noticing the large amount of space devoted to edxicational topic. The school buildings and grounds, too, show how xnueh can be done by school committees that are able to obtain the financial support of the whole district. It has been a great object lesson to him to notice the well-kept buildings and grounds. of the Diinedin schools. He thinks they would compare more than favourably with the schools of any Victorian town. In Victoria, unfortimately, all the expenditure in connection with buildings comes out of the departmental fund, and is administered from Melbourne. One result of that is that local assistance in providing necessaries and comforts for the children is rarely heard of, and then only when an exceptionally vigorous teacher takes up a special movement. In times of financial stress the building vote is one of the first to bs retrenched by a needy Treasurer, and so the department finds it very hard to do more than supply the barest necessaries for the schools. In siioh times of stress, painting the buildings, draining the grouuds, providing shelter sheds, and so on are regarded as luxuries, which can be done without until a more convenient season. The board system in ISTew Zealand appears to have produced a very different state of things. Especially in reference to the second resolution there was a consensus of opinion among the members of the conference that, instead of diminishing the powers of school commilteps, the time was ripe, particularly in the largs centres, where educational activities are strong, for their extension in the direction suggested in the resolution. Experience has shown that

boards are for the most part what the committees make them, and that in the ma.jori'ty of instances the boards are composed of the men who graduate from and compose the committees. Therefore there ca.n be no question, we submit, as to 'the capacity of school committees to deal with the question ; indsed, the local knowledge of the committees, together with the acknowledged zeal of theaa> bodies to promote the cause of national education, are, we think, the potent factors in and rfford the best guarantees for entrusting to committees the power (subject to 'die saving clause _ani6d in the resolution) to appoint all the riienibers of the staffs of their respective schools. Hoping that the various matters dealt vith will commend themselves to yourself, as Minister of Education, and to your Government.