TAPANUI SCHOOL TEACHER AND THE EDUCATION BOARD.

Tuapeka Times, Volume X, Issue 740, 19 January 1878, Page 3

TAPANUI SCHOOL TEACHER AND THE EDUCATION BOARD.

The self-constituted "School Defence Committee " of Tapanui, have been doing their utmost to get Mr South reinstated. We are sorry for them, as they might be better engaged . The Committee desired an investigation into the grounds of complaint against Mr South, aud were prepared with abundance of evidence to lay before the Education Board ; but instead of allowing matters to take their course Mr South resigned, leaving the Committee, as we understand, no other course but to call for applications for another teacher. Now that another teacher has been appointed and approved of by the Board, their action, according to the following report extracted from the "Daily Times" of Thursday last, seems to us quite out of place.

A petition was received from the residents at Tapanui, asking that Mr South, the school teacher should be reinstated, as he had been forced to resign owing to the unjust manner in which he had been treated by some of the Committee.— Mr Gillies said he understood that the Board had advised that the teacher's resignation should be accepted conditionally, and the feeling of the district tested at the next election of the School Committee, the new Committee to decide whether he should adhere to his resignation or be reinstated. He thought the action of the Committee was somewhat sharp practice towards Mr South, and that an undue advantage had been taken of the resignation.— Professor Shand thought that what Mr Gillies had stated was the intention of the Board, but that it had not been resolved upon, as the resignation was received, the question was not finally considered by the Board. — Mr Gillies moved, and it was carried — " That the action of the Board will doubtless be guided in reference to the mastership of the school by the recommendation of the District School Committee to be elected on the 28th inst." We cannct see how the new Committee should have any voice in the matter. To undo, even on the recommendation of a new committee, what has been done in the new appointment would be as absurd as to reinstate Mr South.