EDUCATION POLICY.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 June 1921, Page 3

EDUCATION POLICY.

REPLY TO THE MINISTER’S CRITICISM. TARANAKI BOARD’S VIEW. “Pick up any newspaper and you will find that the Education Department has adopted a new policy, but all it seems to amount to is advising the public on every possible occasion of the ills from which they are suffering, due to the neglect of the education board® not taking to their business.” These remarks were made by Mr. S. Smih, M.P., in the course of a. discussion at yesterday's meeting of the Taranaki Education Board. The question under review was the senior inspector’s report regarding a request for the establishment of a school in a sparsely populated part of the board’s district. Mr. Smith said that he had seen so much unfair criticism of the boards by the Minister that he was not prepared to sit still without placing the fullest information before the Minister in all cases. In the case being considered the onus of providing a school was thrown on the parents, but all'the facts should bo placed before the department, upon whom the responsibility would then rest. Mr. R. Masters, M.P., said that the school in question (Matemateonga) was suffering in common with other backblocks schools; there was v no elasticity about the administration of the department. The Minister had been most unfair in his recent critieisnuof the Taranaki Board, and had really side-stepped every question at issue. The (Mr. P. J. H. White) said he would see that from now on every matter affecting the welfare of the children was placed directly before the department. Reverting to the recent criticism made by the Minister of Education, Mr. Smith said that Mr. Parr had quoted the report of the board’s meeting, but. had referred to other matters which were not in the report, but which were placed directly before the department. The case of the Astwood school had been introduced, which was not mentioned at all in the report, and there was. misrepresentation of the grossest possible kind. It was quite unfair that the Minister should hand over a statement for publication without knowing any of the facts whatever. The discussion was ended by the passing of the resolution in favor of placing the facts of the case under review before the department.