The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1889.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 4548, 25 May 1889, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1889.

A week or two ago we were indebted to one of our Wellington contemporaries for a fairly good abstract of Mr Pisber'a Education Dill, a measure winch was drafted whilst be was still m office, and which would certainly bave been introduced m tbe coming session of Parliament if his connection with the Ministry bad not come to an abrupt termination. Possibly the Government may take up the Bill, or Mr Fisher may himself attempt tbe task of carrying it through the House. That being so, there are a few comments which we desire to make on bis handiwork, and we are now m a better position to criticise as we bave a copy of tbe Bill itself before us. In the first place we would remark tbnt there is no occasion whatever for a new Education Act, and m no part of the country has there been a demand for one. The present Act is m full operation and, m spite of some minor faults and deficiencies, Answers its purpose very satisfactorily. On the whole it m not extravagantly administered, and since the cry for retrenchment v/ati raised iv the country aud was taken up and acted on by tbe legislature, the Education Boards have reduced their expenditure m accordance with their diminished inuome. We shall not hero discuss tbe question of v.Lctber tbe

colony is still spending too much on primary education, but if we were to grant that proposition, we should still see no necessity for Mr Fisher's Bill, because a smaller vote by Parliament wonld necessitate still farther economies on the part of the boards. The entire syßtem would not havo to be swept away and new machinery introduced m its place, as ia proposed by Mr Fisher. All that would be required would be a brief amending Act, fixing a low.er rate of capitation than is provided for by the Act of 1877. "We repeat that we are not discussing the advisability of any such change, but if it were brought about, the boards wonld be compelled to . cut their coat according to their cloth. In such an amending Bill an attempt i might also be made to remove the faults and supply the deficiencies alluded to above. But tbe system adopted m 1877 would, ia all its essential features, remain m force. The ■ strong hold which it has obtained over > the public mind is due mainly to the ' fact that the system is locnlly worked. There is a central Education Department which occasionally tries to assume , a little more authority than the law r gives it; but the real power is m the hands of local representatives ohosen by the committees, who, m their turn, are chosen by the householders. Mr Fisher's Bill abolishes both Boards of Edacation ; and School Committees, and setß up m ' their place bodies to be called School Boards. It is true that they too are 1 to be elected, but when we come to 1 examine their powers we find that they would be far smaller than those at present exercised by tbe Boards of Education. The tendency of the Act is . distinctly to centralisation — to giving the Minister (practically the Secretary ) of the department) a great part of tha F authority and influence which now rest 1 with the Boards of Education. The 1 School Boards would be sabject to the general supervision nnd control of tbe department. They would be unable to appoint or dismiss a teacher without ' the approval of the central authority, and all teachers' salaries would be J paid by tbe Treasury. Again, alj though a School Board would have ' power to receive and consider any requisition from residents of a district desiring the establishment of a new school, and to mate a report and recommendation to tbe Minister thereon, the granting of the request would rest with I him. The Minister would also have the power of closing schools where necessary. Even m the matter of repairs of the school buildings tbe hands of the School Board vyould be tied. Their power would extend no further thau "to recommend to the Minister," and if he chose to rule that the work should not be done, there would be an end of the matter. In the erection of any schoolhouse or teacher's house the School 1 Board might claim to be consulted '' as 1 to the plans nnd material of the building " ; but m every case the decision would rest with the Minister. The [ section of the Bill which makes tbe 1 above provision concludes m the following gracious words : — " The board may, however, expend at its own discretion any moneys at its disposal derived from public subscription or private I gift, or any source other than si r grant of the General Assembly." That proviso is an apt commentary on the whole Bill. Practically the substantial local control which at present exists, and which is the life and soul of : the Bystem, is taken away and given to • tbe Minister (really the Secretary of the department^ m Wellington. The nominal powers of Mr Fishers School t Boards would be somewhat greater than ; the powers of tbe present School Committees, but almost everything would have to be referred to Wellington, and m all important matters the Minister (the ' Secretary, we say) would be the authority. Now, we ask, bow do 'the public think that such a system would work \f Wonld tho canse of education benefit by the change ? Would it even he more economical m the long run ? We have no hesitation m saying that tbe change would be fatal even if as good a class of men offered themselves for | election on the School Boards as are now sent on to the Boards of Edacation by ' the School Committees. Bntwedonot 1 believe that such a class of men would i consent to {.ut themselves m tbe position of being the mere agentß of an autho- . rity m Wellington. Tuke the South ' Canterbury Board of Edacation, for ■ example. They make occasional mis- | takes, no doubt, but on the whole they i do their work admirably, and spare no ' labour m their office. They, give their , time freely, and they have the satisfaci tion of feeling that their ability and knowledge of the district and its requirements are usefully employed m the service of the community. But we ' doubt much whether they would accept ', seats on one of Mr Fisher's new-fangled School Boards. He would have to put 1 up with far inferior material, und tho I same thing would happen all over the [ country. Such little authority aa was vested m the School Boards would not be used to the best advantage, and the recommendations and advice forwarded to Wellington would be unsafe guides , to Ministerial action. There are many other features of this Bill which we dislike excessively, and perhaps we may notice them on a future occasion. But our main object m the present article . has been accomplished vn placing [ before the public as clearly as possible , the fact that Mr Fisher's Bill is steeped , m the folly of centralisation. This should i effectually condemn it m the eyes of I a community.