SCHOOL INSPECTOR’S REPORT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1285, 20 June 1884, Page 2

SCHOOL INSPECTOR’S REPORT.

To the Editor. Sib, —Mr St. Hill says in his letter-Ap-pearing in your columns yesterday, that no report has been received, and that I was told so by the Secretary. Now, as there is nothing so misleading as half tha truth, I might just explain that what they call correspondence, I, in this case, call the Inspector's report re his special visit, or if it will please them better, I will say the correspondence from the Central Board of Education re the Inspector's special visit to examine the fourth standard. Surely this is plain enough v for Mr St. Hill.tjo understand.—l am, etc., John Oke. Ashburton, June 20th, 1874. To the Editor. Sir,—Permit me to thank Mr St Hill for his reply to my query re the above matter, and at the same time to congratulate him on the skill he displays in endeavoring to so nicely evade the point at issue. .But,- Sir, permit me to remind him that if there has been no Inspector's report since.the last "annual report" there is that which is equivalent to it, and which stands in its stead. And notwithstanding that the "schoolmaster is abroad " with his nice distinctions, yet, Inspectors are not generally as unofficial as to not make reports after their inspection of sohools —and more especially so when the inspection is done by special request. The fact of the matter is, Sir, that if a report on the school has not been received the more is the pity and the more inexplicable the action of the Committee becomes. For if there has been no report, why is the head mistress to be so summarily dealt with that she has received fourteen days' notice in which to bow to the request of the hjs{h and mighty, and make tracks.

The Chairman can call it correspondence if he likes, but a sword is a sword for all that, and if Mr St Hill were to have bis' head chopped off at a moment’s notice and without any chance of Knowing tbe reason why, I presume he would thihk it very hard indeed. And yet. Sir, this it characteristic of the very manner in which Miss Harbsnd is being dealt with by our School Committee. Shame on them 1 say, twice shame on them. British Uw

« demands that no one s’i " 1m cr ' n - - - damned unheard within is dominions, and it would not consign the ■ veriest wretch on earth to pun ishment before he had an opportunity of making :; his defence. Why then this hot indecent haste in matters connected with our educational institutions ? Why this diabolical eeeraoy which smells only of the flames of the incendiary behind the scenes in connection with an institution which should be as free as the aii ? The fact is, Sir, the head mistress has in a very coooiSh note been asked to resign her-position wnhin fourteen days, and has not the slighest. chance of knowing the reason why, or of defending herself. She has received no complaints either from the head master or Committee, and no charges have been made against her, unless it has been behind her back and in the dark. And yet ' through ignorance or from motives which * are far worse, this lady teacher is to be bounded from her position uncharged and undefended, and without knowing she has done anything amiss, or has committed a direliotion of any duty rightly imposed upon her. Now, Sir, I think the Chairman and the' Committee should resign their positions and don the “knickerbockers ” and the “ satchel,” and meekly go into “ standard four,” and see if they cannot be made to understand and know .what .the word justice means, and what - our educational institutions arc maintained and kept in existence for. I will now pursue this subject no further in this letter, as I think Miss,Harband has quite ■ sufficient spirit, left in bey to ask for and demand an enquiry into the matter, and which she will get, the Chairman and 'Ashburton School Committee notwithstanding.—lam, etc., Householder,