THE EDUCATION BILL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13666, 7 August 1908, Page 3

THE EDUCATION BILL.

A COMMITTEE'S CRITICISMS. ' The ' Timaru Main School Committee last night discussed the Education Act Amendment Bill. The chairman remarked that the committee as a committee was concerned in certain parts of tlie Bill. The schools were to be regraded, and the new grading 'would give, their school three more teachers. That was satisfactory, and it was also satisfactory that the members of the staff would receive increased stipends. But it -was to be regretted that the basis of the new grading was still to be the old basis of average attendance. Of more immediate interest was an amendment which if adopted by the Legislature would very much lessen the power of the committees in regard to the appointment of teachers. The committee "would have to say how many times a "week the school should be swept out, and to 6ee that broken windows were mended, and to* see that the premises were kept "in good order. The Board was to have the whole power of appointing teachers. The committee might make a recommendation or suggestion in reference to any teacher they might desire; but the Board need , take no notice of it except as a. matter of courtesy. The committee's share in the appointment of teachers was to all intents "and purposes to be taken away from them. There was something in the argument, perhaps, that among the 1800 committees in the country there were some who were not good judges of the merits or demerits of applicants for teachereliips; and something' in the argument that the new rule would give the Boards more freedom in the moving of teachers from school to school, as the requirements of education might demand. The proposed amendments having been I'ead and compared with the provisions of the existing Act, Mr Wilson said it was a retrograde step; because the committee knew the needs of its schools better than the Board. . ■ Mr Vogeler thought it .a fatal blow to the committee system. Mr Tait, director of Education in Victoria, when over here some time ago said he noticed that the people of New Zealand spoke of their school as " our school," and took a lively interest in it. That was not the case in Victoria, and the difference in the attitude of the people towards the schools he attributed; to the popular influence cf : local, committees in New Zealand and the absence of that influence under the centralised State management of Victoria. Mr Tait thought the New Zealand system the best for several reasons.

The chairman said the cqmuiiltets represented the householders, the parents, directly, and the members of the Board did not. Ifc was only reasonable! that, the parents Should have some voice' in the selection of teacbens for their children.

\Mr Wilson recommended makijfg as strong a protest as possible against this part of the Bill.

The following resolution was then drawn up, embodyinjpsuggestiorjs , from different members:—"That we express our-high i appreciation of,, the proposed Act in so far as it refers to the staffing - and the* Tegrading of the schools, although we' regret that the salaries of teachers are still made contingent on the average attendance instead of roll number; but we protest most emphatically against the curtailment of the committees' powers re appointment of teachers, which we think will tend to lessen interest on the part of the committee members, and be hurtful to the cause of education in the Dominion.— A copy of tlu's resol/ttion to be sent, to the member for the clistrict, to the Minister for Education, " and the Education Board." This was moved by Messrs Vogeler and McCahon and carried unanimously.