The New Education Act.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 2, Issue 96, 12 September 1871, Page 3

The New Education Act.

i The General Government Education Bill is I now, we understand, completed. The Canjterbury P-mw thus summarises its provisions : j— “Its object will be, while interfering as little as possible with institutions already existing, to supply educational machinery whore it is wanting or defective, and to unite the whole in one comprehensive, well-organised system. With this view it will begin at the centre, by the appointment of a Minister of Education, responsible to Parliament, who will have the superintendence and ultimate control of all matters relating to public instruction. The Colony will be divided into several (say five) districts, in each of which there will be a Board of Education, having general powers of oversight. The schools will bo placed under the management of local committees. Adequate supervision will be secured by the appointment of an InspectorGeneral for the whole Colony, and an Inspeci tor for each district, whoso duty it will be to I report periodically to the Minister upon the efficiency of the schools, and generally as to the state of education in their respective districts. The Inspectors will bo nominated by the Minister, and will be entirely independent of the Education Boards. With regard to finance, all the present educational reserves will bo retained by the provinces or districts in which they have been made, for their exclusive benefit : and each district will receive j annually from the Colonial revenue a capita- | tion allowance for each child attending school, ito be expended on educational purposes. | Such are, wo believe, the outlines of the

I measure, and we have every re ason to suppose that they will meet with general approval!. An objection may possibly be raised on the score of over-elaborateness and expense ; though the expenditure will not be greater than the aggregate expenditure of the Provinces—supposing education left to Provincial management—except by the addition of i the odices of Inspector-General and Minister of Education. No doubt, too, a vigorous attempt will ho made in the General Assembly to obtain grants in support of douomiua.ti mal schools. But there is one point to which we wish to call attention, uamoly, the absence of any provision for the establishment of nor mal schools. That, so far as we are aware, has been omitted ; and it is a very serious o mission, which we hope will not remain overlooked. The institution of training schools for teachers should bo, in our opinion, ■ a material feature in any colonial system of ■ ducation.”