AN ELECTION QUESTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19999, 15 July 1920, Page 7

AN ELECTION QUESTION.

TECHNICAL SCHOOL BOARD. PROTEST TO MINISTER. Can an officer of an Education Board hold a seat on a Technical High School Board of Governors? Tho question is exciting interest in Christchurch at present, in view of the tact that nominations close on Saturday for the election of two members to represent parents on tho Technical Board. It is an- ' ticipatcd that there will bo several candidates, one of whom may be a school inspector. In a letter to the Minister of Education on Juno 14 Mr D. Lumsden, ! of Sumner, pouted out that in 11)19 t,ho Canterbury Education Board had i allowed ono of its inspectors co bo I nominated and elected as one of the two representatives of tho parents of pupils at'tkmding the, Christchurch Technical High School, in spite of a danse m tho Education Act which roads;— “No householder who is a paid sorrant of tho Education Department, or of any Education Board or school committee, or of tho hoard of_ any secondary school or technical reiiool shall be eligible to be, elected or to bo a member of any school committee.” -Mr Lumsden asked how could a paid servant of the board be elected a manager of a technical high school, when ho could not be elected a member of a cehool committee. In a recent case the Otago Education Board had been refused permission to appoint its chief inspector to represent it on the Dunedin Technical High School. In consequence it had appointed an outsider. Tho Minister, replying, said that tho Department had refused permission to the Otago Board to appoint an officer to a seat on tho Board of Managers not because such an appointment would be contrary to Act or Regulations, but because it was not considered advisable for a departmental inspector to accept such an appointment. In the Christchurch case the Department was not informed prior to tho election of tho inspector. The Minister went on to say that there did not appear to be any legal obstacle to the election of persons otherwise eligible who wore excluded from election to school committees. The Minister’s letter was referred to tho charman of the Otago Educate!! Board, who replied Enclosed yon will find copies of tho wires that passed between tho-Otago Board and the. Department. They do not hear out the Minister's opening paragraph. Ho has, I think, been badly ‘ primed,-' The telegrams read as follows; To the Department from the Otago Board.—“Gan an inspector of schools hold office as member 6f Dunedin Technical School Board?” The Department’s reply;—“lnspectin' ot schools not eligible for aj>pointment as member of a Board of Managers of a Technical School.” _ Tho secretary’ of the Canterbury Education Board states that there is nothing in tho Act which defines eligibility for membership of a Technical High School Board. The provisions concerning school committee* elections do nob apply. The solo provision is that candidates must be nominated in writing by the parent of a child attending the Technical High School.