SCHOOL COMMITTEES

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1935, Page 9

SCHOOL COMMITTEES

TARANAKI ASSOCIATION REVIVED. SCHOOLS WELL REPRESENTED. The Taranaki School Committees’ Association, which has been inactive for five years, was revived on Monday night at a meeting of delegates of school committees at the education board office at New Plymouth. Members present expressed themselves as alive to the necessity for the associa'tion. Mr. F. A. Coleman (Central), last president of the association, presided and there were also present Messrs. B. C. Kurth. E. A. Andrews (Omata), G. F. Monk, A. H. Jordan (Albert Road), A. S. McGregor, W. B. Glasgow, A. Chadwick (Waitara), L. T. Aylward, J. Garcia (Westown), J. D. Robb, S. Kibby (Fitzroy), F. Brunton (West End), J. Adamson, W. J. Salisbury (Egmont Village), J. Bethell, H. D. McDonald (Bell Block), A. G. Martin (Lower Mangorei), P. C. Hill, E.. Corbett (Okato), E. B. Corbett (Pouakai), W. Young (Tataraimaka), A. Knauff, J. D. Pearce (Upper Mangorei), A. Dunkley, F. S. Nicholson (Central), W. K. Morris, D. Harvey (Oakura), C. G. Grey and M. J. Sharpe (Koru). Other committees wrote promising support. The chairman said that it was advisable that the association should be revived. There were questions of vital interest in which the association could give great assistance to the education board, to the department and to the Minister of Education. There was a credit balance of £27.

On the motion of Messrs. Garcia and Robb it was unanimously decided that the association be revived. It was stated that there was a possibility of an association being formed among the school committees in Central Taranaki. »

It was decided to j elect officers, who will hold office until the annual meeting and conference, which is to be held in June. The vice-presidents who have full executive powers were elected on the district basis as provided in the rules, which also provide that the five members of the executive shall reside at New Plymouth. Officers were elected as follows: —President, Mr. J. Garcia (Westown); vice- 1 presidents, Messrs. F. A. Coleman (Central), P. C. Hill' (Okato),' W. B. Glasgow (Waitara-Inglewood), H. R. Marsh (Egmont Village), E. B. Corbett (Pouakai), A. H. Jordan (Albert Road), J. Morrison (Stratford), M. Sutherland (Inglewood) and S. M. Boyd (Opuriake); executive, Messrs. H. J. Abram (West End), J. O. Turner (Central), J. M. Thomson (Vogeltqwn), S. Kibby (Fitzroy), and H. Pryce (Moturoa). The appointment of secretary and treasurer was left in the hands of the executive.

It was decided to forward to every school committee a copy of the rules of the association, so that any necessary alterations could be made at the annual meeting.

The Upper Mangorei school committee forwarded two remits for discussion: That the Education Board be recommended not to move, teachers until the end of the school year; that when teachers are absent through sickness or sitting for examinations, that relieving teachers be sent to' sole charge schools, instead of those schools being closed, as is the case at present when the teacher is absent for less than a fortnight. Mr. Pearce said changes of teachers, especially in the third term, were detrimental to the children, particularly those working for proficiency. Children in country schools, too, were penalised when the school was closed, as had been the case in his district, as many as 20 half-days in one term for sickness and 10 or 12 half-days for examinations and sickness. A relieving teacher should be sent out at once, without waiting to see if the teacher was going to be away for a fortnight. According to the regulations the school had to be open on 400 halfdays in the year, an impossibility in cases such as cited.

Delegates agreed that it was an extraordinary position that sole charge schools should be closed under such conditions, as it‘inflicted a grave injustice on country school children. A relieving teacher should be sent, remarked a delegate, even if it meant slightly inconveniencing a larger school. It was decided to forward the remit regarding sole teacher schools to the Taranaki Education Board, with a recommendation that it be given effect to. The other remit was referred to the executive.

Mr. W. Young (Tataraimaka) drew attention to the anomalies in the system oi staffing schools according to grading. At Tataraimaka the roll had dropped to under 36, and consequently after three terms, the board, in accordance with the regulations removed one of the teachers. At the end of that term, however, the attendance again went up and on representations being made to the board an assistant was again appointed. The committee appreciated that the education board gave every sympathetic treatment, but was bound by the regulations. The question will be discussed by the executive.

Appreciative reference to the assistance given the association by Mr. W. H. Instill, secretary of the Taranaki Education Board, was made by several speakers.

Mr. Insull congratulated delegates on having revived the association, which was working in a good cause. He could assure them that their work was valued very much by the board, which had been helped by several of the remits that had .teen adopted in the past. At a subsequent meeting of the executive Mr. F. S. Nicolson was appointed secretary and treasurer. It was decided to hold the next meeting on March 4.