SOUTHLAND BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Western Star, Issue 1576, 4 July 1891, Page 3

SOUTHLAND BOARD OF EDUCATION.

(From the News.) i » ■ I I At the monthly meeting of tin { Board, held yesterday, the executive • committee reported that the tender o: Pankhurst and Hart for outhousei ■ fencing, etc., at Riverton District High School (£36 10s) had been ac. cepted ; and that the offer of Thomas McKenzie to reinstate the Limestone Plains school buildings for £ls 10s had been accepted. In accordance with a request from the Committee, it was agreed that arrangements should be made for opening the Eastern Rush school in a. temporary building offered by Mr Scobie. Eurther consideration of establishing a new school at Oreti Plains was postponed for a month for the purpose of sending a copy of tbe petition received bv the Board to the Drummond school committee for an expression of opinion thereon. It was decided to inform the Millington Board that in tbe opinion of the" Southland Board there is no necessity for the appointment of a congress of experts to consider and report on the education system of the colony. The Executive recommended that tlie first Friday in August be fixed as Arbor Day for the Southland Education Diitrict, the committees to be informed accordingly. —Mr Lumsden thought the suggestion, though judicious, was somewhat sentimental. Ho, however, considered the object a good one, and moved the adoption of the recommendation. —Dr Hodgkinson moved as an amendment that the committees be informed that the Board would sanction the setting apart of an annual holiday as Arbor Day for the purpose of tree planting.—Mr Froggatt seconded the amendment. — After some discussion tbe amendment was lost on the casting vote of the chairman, and the motion carried. The Board then resumed the discussion, adjourned from last meeting, on Dr Hodgkinson’s motion to the effect “ that in future in sending the names of candidates for teacherships to committees not more than five be forwarded.” Mr Bain considered that it would be a mistake to adopt a hard and fast rule by limiting the number of names as suggested. He held that it was the intention of the Act that a list of the applicants, possessing the necessary qualifications should be sent to tbe committee to choose from, and that by doing so they gave committees an opportunity of selecting a teacher they thought would meet their requirements. —Mr Baldey said the committees were greatly interested in the appointment of their teachers, and he certainly did not think they should curtail the privilege they at present enjoyed. Of course if the Board knew any of the applicants to be incompeteut they would keep their names back. The motion proposed simply meant restricting the privileges of committees. Mr McNab supported the motion, and quoted from the Education Act to show that the motion would simply give effect to what was contemplated by the Legislature. The mere throwing out of those applicants who were uncertificated could he done by the Secretary in a few minutes, and had no need to come before the Board at all. He refuted the' argument that the Committee , being the most interested, was best qualified to judge, and said that the Board, as the least intoresfed, and thei’efore impartial, was in the best position to consider teacher’s qualifications. He would not send only one name to the Committee, but as a compromise the number stated in the motion.—The Chairman stated he would vote against the motion. It would, he thought, be a great injustice to applicants who were qualified to throw their names out instead of sending them on to the Committee. [Left silting]