EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14284, 26 August 1910, Page 3

EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE.

PRINCIPAL RESULTS. > Tha Education Boards Conference at Wellington, which is attended by the Chairman and Secretary on behalf of the South Canterbury Board, had a strong discussion on a Southland remit against the proposal to abolish Education Boards, which has been indicated in connection with a new Local Government- Hill. . The mover of the remit, Mr MeGibbon, thought the foundation of the proposition to saddle the d,..t of educaf.on on local bodies was tiie result of I accent visit of one of our educational I ofheers to Europe. Reading between ! Lie- lines, the conclusion was ciiiiio to i that we should follow the, example of i the education systems of the older eomi- | tries of Europe and America. If wa; onr boast that we had set a course in education for ourselves, and there : .should be no departing from that course. .Mr. Mitchell (Otapo) declared • that n the proposition were put into foive it would add considerably to the cost of education without uddin" to lis value.

Mr Purr (Auckland) considered i.l :i ,t the Minister would have to bow to ;hc general public, opinion, which itas altogether a-amst .such a proposal. Personally lie .suspected that tlio question ol nuance was at the bottom of the proposition, and that the Minister feared m mturc that he would not know vhere. to turn fur his funds. Instead of 'em- tomahawked the boards should ii.lv C! their power.s increased Ui-v. J.', 15. JM-aser (OUilcoi' said it the J department wished to fatally injure to , .no „t education it eould not do so j *:" ; '" y ll,1, » b >' ■•' t ''-Pti. lK such Kinafiat S P „S ~,o,,tioUed iu lhd tle.t + i„ '"'M 1 <'i the .Minister meant li L 1 "^"* 311 " 11 <'*' education shoul I bo left ,„ the J i;im!s (li - tho U f, and that e , h ce ?. ~ °"1 I, '»'''l>'»gs should I he ," l e if the Minister or P, al , ttoll \ earned out by the boards I be boards dealt in human hoi,,* a , d h^res I ' 3^ 110 "' onl - v lv,t!l f »«* and oFndmini A''' 0 "* iim,t of tlle s - vst^" nathv ) atl °", waa tho "' a! '-t oi : svmS,,** 1 ! t'w central department s ico he' \ b r St a " d cx « ,|k "« ™r£ stu'h c m, r Kht "' K a b "« e >-. a » d that no s c "° WU , S raall >- tended. ]f for'e it' w l,o f Ul wo,-e ~ro into •mvlW l mM , caUiia iiiiinitelv 11101S"! vlTen t, th i! co than in abo Use f ''m, r»"; ial COll " Cils wers would n,.' •> lu ' lHid Wls(!r counsels ft r t J f' bl,t Jt was i»*fc »s ivoll •t ?, r t: ° + fc ° «'»PI-as;so the rhi,,'.",rn "! te, ests of the people, the ""' a " d tJ ' U I ' l,tU1 "° ° f perhaps , KUe { ° S! f =Vf* lor dobator If the intan that the administration at pre- ° Ut h - V «J»™t«m '-' nls would he thrown <m coui:;v oceoc-ls ";-.'- ! - : v";.'-'n'", t " l "' :r tl " ti<; ' i *" "'•ueh'iiiat "jjl; .uire to receive romuncra'lhe conference adopted the motion almost unanimously M\™%B%ta£™* n ' 6re PaSS6d t0 the •That in records of the cost of Boards'

administration the expenditure on inhe\lenvii w^ar'aV-'lv. Thai. Boards 1.0 rrr.onnm.-ml.-d jo adopt scheme.-, of ;ir-ir!inu :tji'.l chi:-i'"^i-cat-on of teachers on a uniform bails, with a- rie" - to the earl" formation of a scheme for ills whole dominion. That provision be mads for grants sufficient to enable scientific instruction to be givc-.u in district high schools or technical schools by competent instructors. Thnt in riptv of th* erl raisins of the standards of the matriculation examination, a separate examination should bo. provided lor pupil teachers to qualify for admission to a training college. That justice will not bo done to the rural schools of the dominion until a distinct cleavage is made in the classification of country and city schools, and suitable regulations made for each class. That the salaries of assistants in the secondary departments of district high schools are insufficient. That it is necessary in the interests of education that there should be some clear definition of the relations existing between the- Education Department ami 'Education Boards, (l.i in the <lirectii.ii of giving Boards sonic power in iiie composition of the syllabus, (;2» in framing regulations, and (3) as representing the people- in shaping the educational policy of the dominion. That there should be established a .system of agrb-uluiral and other technical scholarships. That the. boundaries of education districts should bo adjusted so as to get moro uniform and suitable areas.