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QUESTION OF PRIVILEGES

ATTITUDE OF TEACHERS'

INSTITUTE

. The attitude of public school teachers on the question of private and denominational schools' formed the subject of ,a discussion at last night's meeting of thji Wellington branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute.

Mr. E. H. Ballachy referred to a statement which was published some weeks ago to the effect that the institute was taking an active part in questioning candidates for Parliament as to their attitude to the State system of education, and to the question of State aid to denominational schools. It was stated that candidates were being asked whether they were in favour of the suppression of denominational schools, and whether they were in favour of restricting applications for employment in the Public Service, to those who had been educated in the public schools. He wanted to know whether that was the policy of the N.Z.E.T., because the motion passed at the annual meeting looked something like it.

Sfr. W. W. Rowntree said that that aspect of the matter was not discjissed at the annual meeting of the N.Z.E.I. ,

Mr. H. A. Parkinson paid there wan fl, good deal of exaggeration about tlw statement. There- had never been any question of suppressing private schools, and it had never been proposed that the institute should favour a policy of restricting employment in the PuWjo.Service to those who had heen educated in public schools. Such a .question had never been addressed to a Parliamentary candidate. Candidates at the recent byeleations had been ashed whether they favoured thc v maintenance of the national 'system of free, secular, and compulsory education; whether they would voto against the payment of any money on any account to private schools, or on account of the ptipils attending those schools; and, whether they would actively oppose any movement that might tend towards the breakdown of the national system. Sncli questions would again be addressed to candidates at the next elections. At th<4 annual meeting of tlie N.ZJ3.T. a resolution was passed recommending that no certificates entitling the holders to public privileges should 1)6 issued to-.the iwpilt of private. schools. That meant that if pupils wished to get a certificate entitling them to secondary education in a public school they must go to a public school to get it, even if they had 'been educated at a private school. Such pupils must pass the same, examination as children educated in a public school. Mr. Ballachy said tl.at although he favoured the introduction of the Bible into the schools, he had never given, either verbally or materially, any support to any sectarian school. To demand' that private schools should not bo examined, or that, certificates should not be given to pupils who attended a school that was not a public school, he thought was wrong. He did not think people should be penalised if they thought their children could be better educated at a private school than at a State institution. Provided a private school was open to inspection by Government officials, and was doing as good work as a State school, they would be going back to medieval persecution if they said that that school was not to continue, and that pupils 6hould not bo allowed to take a 'leaving certificate" from it. A "leaving certificate" from fho primary school and from secondary school, whether State or (otherwise, should be given, provided the conditions were fulfilled. The only way, ] and tho light way, to stop the. spread of sectarian schools, which he believed were I bad from many points of view, was to make the State sohools so efficient that tho sectarian schools would die a natural death. (Hear, hear.) State scholarships should only be held ut State schools. Miss P.. Myers agreed with what Mr. Ballachy had said regarding tho prevention of the spread of pirate and sectarian schols, but seeing that they had been saying that the Slate schools were not what tliey should bo tliey; could not blame parents for pending tiicir children to other schools. It had come to her knowledge that certain pupils attending a private school which charged very high fees were receiving free railway tickets to attend that school. In her. claw she had pupils who had to pay their railway fares because they passed a small school on the journey, but the children attenling tho privato institution could get their railway fares, although tneir parents were able to pay largo fees for their education. The school to which she referred was not denominational, but private. ' I Mr. Parkinson: There have been several cases like that. They ought to ;iave been stopped. , 1

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19190301.2.97

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 134, 1 March 1919, Page 8

Word count
Tapeke kupu
772

PRIVATE SCHOOLS Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 134, 1 March 1919, Page 8

PRIVATE SCHOOLS Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 134, 1 March 1919, Page 8

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