The Timaru Herald TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 1932. ELECTION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 19156, 12 April 1932, Page 6

The Timaru Herald TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 1932. ELECTION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

It is interesting to note that strong support for the proposal to unify education control in the various districts by constituting for each district one education board to manage primary, secondary and technical education, was given by the conference of education boards which met in Wellington last week. The conference, it is reported, was severely critical of the administration of the Education Department, which it was claimed, was very largely a checking department, thereby causing much overlapping of work and which had usurped much of the authority formerly vested in the boards. It is not difficult to appreciate, however, the growing reluctance of the people to undertake the onerous yet most honourable task of associating themselves with the local administration of education. As a matter of fact, only a mere vestige of control remains in the hands of local authorities. If the measure of local interest displayed since the report by the National Expenditure Committee was published can be regarded as indicating the popular concern felt for future of control of education, we have only to say that the Department o,f Education has accurately sensed the trend of opinion and is proceeding on safe lines in usurping authority which no one seems to want. For many years a constant agitation has been maintained in defence of local control, but as far as we can see, the discouragements that have been faced from year to year by enthusiasts in the cause of educational progress, have yielded the harvest the Department anticipated and to-day, in some cases, there is a complete absence of local interest in the election of school committees. In this district, nominations closed last night for the election of committees associated with the larger schools. It is safe to saj' that in some cuses, no nominations would have been received but for the activities of the retiring commitee. As a matter of fact, if the average school committeemen were to wait for interested parents to invite them to accept nomination, there would be a substantial shortage in the nomination for vacant seats. Very little interest was manifested in school committees in Timaru yesterday when nominations closed. Only the requisite number of candidates were nominated in some instances, and elections have thus been avoided. What is the explanation? This can be found in the report of the conference of education boards, namely that “a system has been built up,” says the report, “by a process of attrition whereby the Department had usurped much of the authority formerly vested in the boards. The department, instead of dealing only with policy questions, had gradually introduced a system of administration which required practically every function of a local board to be subservient to the department’s authority.” Not unnaturally the question arises as to the usefulness of education boards which are elected by school committees. If there is little or no interest in the selection of school committees it naturally follows that outside the .personnel of the boards very little interest is shown in the control they evince in the administration of education. For years, the education authorities in Wellington have persisted in a policy of stripping all local authorities of control, until to-day both board and committees are growing disheartened under the deadening effect of centralisation. Years ago the Minority Report of the Primary School Syllabus Revision Committee, advocated an enlightened policy on the following lines:

We are firmly convinced that a complete revision of the education system is an absolute necessity, especially on its administrative side. The centralisation of administration has resulted in an enormous growth of the cost without in any measure conducing to efficiency or improving’ the education imparted to the children. On the other hand centralisation has diminished local interest, which is the life-blood of the schools, particularly in country districts, where a liberal measure of local control spurs parents and residents generally to effort to improve the school surroundings and add to the comfort of the pupils. While central control necessarily involves delay, direGt control ensures prbmptness of action and reduces the cost by avoiding a waste of time and stationery in the conduct of correspondence, which entails the employment of a larger staff than would otherwise be necessary. It would also enable more and speedier attention to be given by the Minister and his chief advisers to matters of higher moment. Local control through boards and committees would be productive of economy and efficiency and tend to more cordial relations all round.

As a matter of fact local control of education has never been given a fair trial, and the Government ought to seize the opportunity now offering to recast the whole structure of educational control and strike the death blow at the serpent of centralisation that lias wrought such havoc in educational affairs, principally in the direction of destroying local interest, with the resultant discouragement of hosts of enthusiasts who have given much in the cause of educational progress.