The Star. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1903. HIGHER EDUCATION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7891, 22 December 1903, Page 2

The Star. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1903. HIGHER EDUCATION.

It was but natural that tho Premier, who, in his capacity as Minister of Education, was present at the b'realring-up ceremony of the Girls' High School, should take advantage of tho occasion to refer to tho question of higher education in genj eral and tho Government's Secondary Schools Act in particular. It was natural, also, that ho should make reference to the attitude adopted by the governing body of tho school — the Canterbury College Board of Governoris — towards the Act. Hitherto, the Board of Governors has refused to fall in with the Government's scheme, on tho ground that ib is impracticable and expensive. But the scheme has been adopted elsewhere, and a trial of it has not disclosed that it is either impracticable or that it presses with undue severity financially upon the schools by which it has been tried. Perhaps, on, reflection the Board of Governors will yet see its way to adopt th 0 scheme, not from fear of coercion, but simply out of a desir© to supply tb c present demand for secondary education. It is understood that the Board will further discuss the question shortly, and it is to be hoped that it will then decide to withdraw from the position it has seen fit to take up. But time is pressing, and meanwhile the demand for free secondary education in Christchurch is becoming daily more insistent. While ,the Canterbury College Board of Governors is hesitating to throw open the two High Schools under its control to the Government's- free scholars, hundreds of boys' and girls ar£ being denied the advantages of a secondary educational course. A solution of the problem was provided by the power granted under the Education Act to convert primary schools into District High Schools, and the North Canterbury Education Board proposed to take advantage of this power to proclaim the West Christchurch School a- District High School. But the Education Department, with whom the final Word rests, refused it> sanction the conversion, and tiius blocked that way out of the difficulty. The only other way that occurs to us is for • the V' 'Board of Governors to agree to the Government's scheme without further delay. If it will but take this course, it will be consulting its own dignity as well as the interests of the community. For it is only a question of time before the Board will be compelled to take the course from which it now shrinks* and surely it is preferable to take it voluntarily than under compulsion. But while the Board is deliberating valuable time is being wasted, and children to whom a secondary educational course would be a thing of priceless value are outgrowing the school age. For this reason jwe should welcome- a further attempt to persuade the Department to convert th c West Christchurch School into a District High School.