CENTRALISATION OPPOSED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17348, 13 May 1924, Page 8

CENTRALISATION OPPOSED.

SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS. Pkr Pres* Association. WELLINGTON. May 13. Cbnsiderable discussion took place at the annual conference of the Secondary Schools Principals’ Association to-day upon receipt of a circular .letter from the Auckland Grammar School Board dealing with certain difficulties which it is said had been experienced. The circular stated that, the Auckland Board had reason to believe that dissatisfaction was widely felt by secondary school boards in the Dominion, with the excessive and increasing centralisation of control of secondare schools in the Education Department'. Wellington. The powers of board* were taken away by the issue of ana cessive regulations and unless some effort was made to arrest the move ment the hoards would be reduced if mere intermediaries, carrying on l mechanically the orders of the Depart ment. It was suggested in the circular that some joint action should he tak % - and a proposal was made in regai\ to a deputation to wait upon the Minister of Education. Mr Cress we 11 moved : “ That th. principals of secondary schools fa voir the system of local rating as a mean, of raising at least a part of th< funds required for educational pur poses, believing that such procedun would: (a) stimulate local interest am pride in education because of thi measure of decentralisation : (b) pu an end to the suspicion of preferentia treatment as between district and dis trict ; (c) bring about the mucli-neede-. divorce of education and politics: un< (d) by giving more initiative and re sponsibility to local boards, dignify th membership of such bodies, and indue the ablest men to accept office. The motion was seconded pro forma hut it was decided to defer furthe discussion on the matter until late in the conference.