COUNCIL OF EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2621, 17 November 1915, Page 3

COUNCIL OF EDUCATION

FIRST MEETING THE BOUNDARIES PROBLEM The Goneral Counoil of Education, 'a body which was constituted under the Act of ,1914, met for for. first time yesterday morniag. Tho council will probably bo in session daily until the end )i" the week.

Tho members present are: Dr. W. J. Anderson, Director ol'-Eduoation (chairman) j Mr. T. R. Fleming (member of tho Inspection Staff appointed by the Minister); Mr. J. R. Kirk (Gisborne) and the Hon. J. G. W. Aitken (elected by Education Boards in the North Island); Messrs. C. H. Opio (Christchurch) and W. N. Franklyn (Nelson), elected by Education Boards in tho South Island; Mr. T. li. Wells (Auckland), elected by male teachers in the North Island; Mr. J. Caughley (Christchurch), elected by male teachers in the South Island; Mr. F. H. Campbell (Dunedin), elected by male teachers in secondary and technical schools; Miss Phoebe Myers (Wellington), elected by female teachers in tho North Island ; Miss E. A. Chaplin (Cbristchurcli), Bleoted by femalo teachers in the South Island; Miss C. M. Cruickshank (Wanganui), elected by.female teaohers in' secondary and'technical schools- Professor .J. MacMillan Brown (Christchurch), appointed by the N.Z. University Senate.

The Hon. J. A. Hanan (Minister of Education) addressed the members of the council, offering them a welcome to Wellington, and congratulations on their appointment. The Minister paid a high tribute to the former pupils of New Zealand schools who had offered their lives for their country. Mr. Hanan then referred to the need of giving some thought to a time beyond the war, the coming period of social and industrial • reorganisation and ,reconstruction, and lie stressed the important part which the education system bad to take in shaping the new, higher democracy. > "Thoroughness" was tile word which he wished to have associated with tie whole system. He wished tbe schools to help more strongly than ever ill tlie training of citizens to whom the term "true man" and "true woman," in the broadest sense, could be fairly applied. He reminded his audience that in the opinion of many the parents—and the teachers who had to take tho place of parents —were doing too much for the children \n some respects. The path, was smoothed for the younger generation; everything was made easy; therefore, the young folk had a disposition to be, selfish and to lack self-reliance.

The proceedings were not open to the Press. The biggest task before the council is that of fixing the boundaries of - the nine education districts constituted under the Act of last session. The council will have before it the evidence of the Education Commission, tho evidence given before tho Education Committee nf the House of Representatives, and the evidence taken by tho Education District Boundaries Commission which sat early in this year. Strong protests have been sent in to the Council of Education, and tho Director of Education against the possible severance of Ashburton from North Canterbury to bo joined with South Canterbury in the event of the South Canterbury district being maintained. ITawera people have protested against inclusion of their district in Tarauaki. They prefer to remain ill the Wanganui district, and 0110 of their reasons is that iliev believe in the programme of agricultural instruction which has been part nf tho policy of the Wanganui Board. Representations have been made: ort behalf of Marlborough district, urging that it should be added to Wellington, and not to Nelson.