THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Otago Witness, Issue 2719, 25 April 1906, Page 18

THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

cas. IMPUGNS COMPETENCY OF DUNEDIN TECHNICAL SCHOOL. EDUCATION BOARD ON THE WARPATH. After the Education Board had considered a number of matters in committee 'on Wednesday afternoon, the U6ual calm 1 which now pervades these meetings J was broken by a short but vehement etorm, having as its object tive the Education Department, and | in particular its treatment of the board in j regard to th© Dunedin Technical Schools, j It appears, from what was said, and the correspondence (given below) which was read, tliat in June of last year the department's inspector of technical education (Mr C E. Isaac) visited the Technical School, ' and from a conversation he had with a board inspector it was inferred that ho was i dissatisfied with the manner in which the J cook-cry and carpentry classes were oonJ ducted — in fact, he alleged ineompetencv. This opinion ultimately filtered through to the Education Board, which awaited for some time the receipt of the official report from the department. Nothing, however, coming to hand unsolicited, the followingletter was sent from the board's office on December 6 last : — The Secretary, Education Department, Wellington. I shall ba glad if you will let me have, for the information of the bsard, a copy of M(r Isaac's report upon the Dunedin and suburban schools' woodwork and cookery classes on the occasion of his visit ■to these classes about the middle of the current year. P. G. Phyde, Secretary. The reply came with customary promptne-=~ — nearly s : x weeks later, — dated Janua ry 16. 1906, as follows: — I' Tlu Secretary, Education Board, Dunedin. I send you herewith, for the information of the board, a copy of the report of tihe '• department's inspector on the Dunedin and suburban schools' cookery and woodwork classes. j G. Hogbe^. Inspector-general of Schools. This comooumcalion wae marked cog-

fidential, and its receipt was acknowledged on January 20 by the following letter from the Otago Beard's office: — The Inspector-general of Schools, Wellington. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your memorandum of date 16th inst., enclosing the report o£ M.r Isaac on the Dunedin and suburban schools' cookery and woodwork classes. I have to point out that the report is undated. I shall be gkd if you will furnish.' me, before the next meeting *>f the board, with the date of the report. P. G. Pryde. Secreiary. The reply, dated January 31. was as follows : — The Secretary, Education Board, Dunedin. In reply to your letter dated Ja.mnu.-y 20, I have to say that the darte of Mr I-s&ac'a report on the Dunedin and suburban schools' cookery and woodwork classes is that of the letter (16th January) under cover of .which it was forwarded to you. The report is, I may .'ay. based on the inspection of the classes by Mr Isr.ac in June last. M. H. Browns (for Inspectojr-generaJ). The correspondence and the confidential report of Mr Isaac supplied by the department were .considered jn. due course, and" on February 23 the following- lotter was forwarded from the Otago Board •' — - ' " The Inspector-general of Schools, Wellington.. I have the honour to acknowledge, receipt" of yoa:r mereoranduni of January 16, covering a. copy of the report of Mr C. E. Isaac on. the school woodwork and cookery classes at Dunedin. The report was considered at a. lr.-eetiiig-of the board to-day, and I was instructed to say that the board cannot refrain from expressing its surprise at the terms in which it ■is couched, and thai so muoh delay should have been permitted before Mr Iseac committed to paper, in the form of a-ri official report, the impressions left on his mind by a. brief inspection of the classes named. The board is of opinion that tihe value of the roporfc bad beeu gioa-tly discounted by the fact that a. period of seven months elapsed between. Mr Isaac's visit to th« classes and the formulation of his report. Where the conditions so tinsatisfaotory a3 the reporl siatss them to have been, it was, the board takes leave to say, the duty of the inspector to lose no time in reporting, so that remedial measures might be. applied with the least possible delay. But, as it now transpires, Mr Isaac gave silent sanction to what he viewed as defects vnd deficiencies for seven months, and only then formulated his report some five or six weeks after application for a copy of it had been made by this board. The dilatory course pursued has placed the board and its instructors in a false position, as the d«!ay has not only deferred reforms, if such, are necessary, but ■has frustrated to a considerable degree, the inquiry which the board must deem imperatively demanded by the receipt of such » report. The report has been submitted to the instructors affected for their explanations, and copies of their replies r.re enclosed herewith, for the information of the Minister. P. G. Pryde, Secretary. Kb reply has so Far been received to this communication, nor has its receipt been acknowledged. The whole of this matter was made publicfor the first, time y<"sterday, and came up after tiie disposal of the regular bitsiness by Mr T. Mackenzie moving the (following motion;— ''Thar this ' beard, haviug" promptly replied to ihe department's letter coacerning: severe strictures passed by the department's officer of the alleged incompeteney of the teaching in the eookerv and carpeutrv technical classes, as conducted 1 in the Dunedin Technical School, requests an answer to such reply, in order that the matter may be pursued to a satisfactory, issue."' Mr J. Mitchell seconded the motion, and. in th-o course of the short discussion -which ensued, some very strong remarks were made about the department and its methods of do njr business. The instructors concerned, in thpir replies to the inspector s report, absolutely denied the impeachment, and in justice to thorn, it was pointed out, Ihe department— apart from the courtesydue to the board— should have taken some steps either to substantiate the charges or withdraw them. The motion was carried on the voices.