VIGOROUS PROTEST.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 726, 27 January 1910, Page 5

VIGOROUS PROTEST.

EDUCATION CONFERENCES. 5 , "GIGANTIC PIECES OF HUMBUG> ; -; ! ' : :_THB.';BOARDS; IGNORED: . ■ .. (By■: : ■-..■> J' ! ' Dunedin,. January 2fI.V:V;: 3l ilively , discussion, took place at the!' : meeting of ,the Education Board to-day ; l« over: a circular from, the : Education p&i.; ! ;: partment asking.the board; to appoint one:"i ■■ "of .its; inspectors as a delegate .to: the;;.', forthcoming general conference in :.■ Wei- ■;'-■ ■ lington, also to grant , leave' of absence to'■ V~ teachers.and ..to inspectors for -the- in—'' spectors' conference;, which. immediately- :.; follows the general.conference/;VThe eir-;S ciilar from .the; Department: defining "the ' : -if: statusf of. those' entitled to .attend:"'the.-; : ''Tnil>V' ! ! consist -of v representative ; teachers '■"and-''- V---other-persons of. standing" prbfeesionally. ■'/' .■employed 'in educational- ac-'-S" tivities bf.'vari'ous forms,;and.wiU be 'ei.-.' , . :pected:..to, .deybte itself \ frontXdifferent!; ■■!■ pointsvof;view;;to ; such ■~broad questions^; -, M:have direct; bearing Hon. of ;;the .seVeral; parts' : : of ■'tho. i .tion: system : of New' Zealand."' r the circular 'had. been Key., V. V B.;Eraser moved• .'That theV--Department, having requested-the board' ■■to_ appoint one -of its, inspectors to :edu--;;'. cational conference convened by the--Dei-'*-partment,, the board Mr.-Goyeri.- i: '. chief inspector, to att(md... ; At the same.-■■■' i tmiethe..board, while 1 cordially; approving,' ! f> objects; of, the -conference,. regref.^.*. ; that _ the,, Department should -ignore, the * ; : , boa ™s, fs the ,: elected , representatives' .constituted. ,by Parliament-:for. ;the>ad-'K ministration .of:'primary and secondary';/;; education un tho - Dominion.- /The board :; ■>■ ; ' aw of.,opin;oii that-'-it ia essential■■: Hurt:-.>:. fflSIS 6 .-' onl d,V b 15. intelligent .co-operation-'.-: ■wnli. 'the. . Department.,in ■ all", matters ' affecting.education, and , that.this is rcn- : i : ' •dered_impossibleby.the consistent ignor-K''-' .mg of .the boards and by their, eioludon-:-trom[.: all the.; councils'.-of-'.the -Depart- '' ; ment -■:■'• Mr. leaser said that for. a time, the Government had done nothiii?- '■'■'■ for education, ;except leave;it alonei : and ' v he wasnot sure that the '.time.'when.the-:-' , ' faovernment.;left:,things,ilone'.-was -not; ■ the.most; thriving in 'the 'period'of edu-':" cahonalv. matters. '... Since :. the 'appoint-"..' ment ~of-.,the .present: Inspector-General"-' it was true , .there-had-been iM ,m.many ways,,-greatly; to'■ the advan-f- 1 .Tsge/ of.; education'. : i A;, great money had-,been spent, but,the point waskVthat the .-Department had' left, everything':";- ! under/its immediate controLby.innumer-':.-■ able "schedules. v . While education "now'•? rosVa;great deal ..more, ;the 'powers' of i'"'" ■Hie.boards had been Sued.: These conferences cost; a : deal'of <i' : money, •' and he ■ was not sure 'that theyS" - were.of -much..benefit. , At,the inspeo-v ; - ! - tors :\ conferences 'made 'by'-Pi own inspectors..were never carried out,'"V ; or., at,least, very. few. of As for-;-;' the, general.,.conference, ■■ the,; « n;, 'ii 'k* ■' e' 6s^, ! representatiyea' : v of ..'the ...people—members . of-' bbardsJ'i'-'i -was:, specially" reprehensible' "'sinoe^-... , ; at the;.forthcoming.conference .there .wasJv' : . to :bo discussed: the . important quostioni' l J ■ of ; the.. co-ordination ': of.' all, ; departinentsv.- : - ; of-. , .education—primary, ■; secondary/ , ahdife; vtechnicaLv;; The Circular- : :defining,:; thefe: status.of those who could/attend the cbnV'-'■'" ference 'was, specially tb; exclude l-.'-'v men,who,had given a',large part of.'their ;: ,; :; lives: to educational: They.' were-* ';:■■■ deliberately: ignored,' and their, criticism,'v'.-' which was the criticism of-unbiassed nienj':.' ;Whp ,had no. : plums. to' gather. from:jthe,rV..' : •.department,' was not allowed utter-i.'. , ed.' Members',.;; of the . conference7-wp'uldi ! y:i' all. be men more or less connected withJ-'.'■";:' educational emoluments,' and :a11.. ; ft pendent; criticism i.was.excluded.'V:'.The) i>; : ;Inspector-General.:;was! the biggest';fad-i;••!■ dist.inj.thiiycountry.Sv.-He''(Mr. H6gben)(.',i■■:■' ■knew, nothing, of .what,was'ifceing, done Jim': v: the. country:.districts,"and;yet those who(::X could/tell ; excluded .-deliberatelyIk° ;from: assisting, by' advice on. a - nationaH'■' S : question.-. This'.' action' Bhpwed. thfe .delibeH ,"i-; ate intention; of;• the Department and'the >, value- they set''upon ; :the board's .experi-l' , encei.>-;-'.;-'- , .!-.-'^.''.-.--!-'.'. v .- i; ; ,i.-':!'.■..•'..- ,: ; >"•"'Vi'^i:

VMr.'W. Scott ■ seconded;the motion. ; He j"; thought .country.. members ;,had;;a'; .partWcular grievance, because, the:outcome -was] .. neglect;:,of country schools. / ; The' confer-?, ence , went, more ■ for ftown schools andj higher education, .and, that sort. of. thingj '. was "largely, detrimental. ".;to/V.couatryj echools.' He held' that. ', the', best: thingj to do would be to hold an. iidependehO' cdnforence, of••■ the . education .boards; oW New; Zealand.

iJIr. .Ji/.Mitohell' said',thai-.'from': pastl.;;, , , experience; he'.: judged 'that. : these', confer--■■;:'•■'■ fences' .were"a gigantic, piece: of : humbug., fal 'At :.a". previous u conference. tlie.-..prbpbseaJi- ,; ;V ;the 'inspectors,'!:headed, .by>. Mr. Goyen,,' v their' own, chief inspector, i.A;.committees';' >. Was set' up.and brought :down'.a, syllabus' : .' : ' : that.:.was "generally: regarded , ,as very'ft-,; fair, V-.: but that- : syllabus' never, saw' ; the.:.';;; light of. day. It'was. generally supposed.'.Jto be. in force, but" tto syllabus in -force. ::.•• Was not , thiit syllabus, b n ' Hr,:;-Hogben's;,:.'- ';;' syllabus."-. '■■:,■■■"."''■■','■ '•■•• : '■■'. ■■ ■'. :| .. ■ ■ ■•";.:' ■•' .'\'.v;'',-~y>.'-.■■; : ...The Hon. T./Fergus agreed that ,mem-'. : '■">■ bers -.of the boards, should have; the op; • V. : . ■por.tunity. of-giving thy benefit , of. their»v>.^ , oiperieace: and- criticising: the :recbm--'y mondations' 'made : to the] innister.'j' 'Hβ f;\ thought :■ the :boards ■ were* just :as\ com-:. ;'; petent to criticise' some.of the matters ae...--' the meh^who.were, appointed'to. do. so. ~1.','. Mr. Israel: AVho anything but. a :.■.■', .broad'!view:of;things.;V, : .;;;>y: ;;:--. : . /G \ i ■/.■' Mr... Fergus!, It. is apiece of officialism. ,' ■ runvinad..:::: '-v.-:.>■-.''-V-'h'--..'.. ; > JV!:i^v.■> ':.• The; motion was earned: unanimously,: . ' and-.it; .was: decided;.to -send .copies: : to:;.' : . : , other boards, |o the. 'Minister,; : and••: to -' ,; of: ■ Parliament.* - r The.: necessary ;■:.- \ .' ■leave:flf .absence" was- granted;, to;the: iaiV- '7 spectors and teachers 'as feijuosted. '..:,. ■\'; i - ,".■ :