EDUCATION REFORM

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 64, 9 December 1919, Page 7

EDUCATION REFORM

IN DEFENCE OF,THE BOARDS

REASONS IN SUPPORT

Iti connection with tho campaign for education reform tho Education v Board's manifesto, in defence of tho boards, contains, in addition to the resolutions adopted by the recent conference in Wellington (and published at tho lime), the following points in support:— The principle of' centralisation is unsound. It has proved itself ineffective wherever tried. It is important that a healthy local interest about the education of tho children should be maintained in every district, and that a body strong enough to influence tho Department should exist in every large area. These needs aro met by school committees and education boards respectively. It has been suggested that county councils might tako the placo of education boards. Iβ it likely that they would be willing to do so, or that, if willing, they cquld administer as well as boards, that have had for nearly fifty years the administration of educational affairs? Iβ it: likely that they, would be willing to subordinate roads and bridges to education!. It is more likely that they would be- charged with.a system of local rating in couneition with education that would' almost immediately'result in placing ono district at a disadvantage with another.' ' (2) Even under present conditions Departmental control has not been satisfactory. There is no board in New Zealand that" cannot givri* evidence of this fact. Delay in dealing with applications, and hampering restrictions placed upon administration have proved most burdensome in tho past. Isolated country'districts, even with boards of education at their backs, find it most difficult to obtain a.school within their district. Without tho power of the'boards to support them they would be , practically helpless. The only means that would then be left to them to compel the 'Department to grant them necessary education facilities would be political influence. • (3) In a democratic country the first principle is government ■ by the people. To attempt to abolish education boards who are elected by school committees, who are elected by householders', is to attempt to.deprive the people of their rights and to take the power of tlio initiutivo from them. Departmental control will mean control by officials. ■ "(i). All committees, particularly those in rural areas, require an intermediary body to press their claims for schcol facilities. Instanco after instnnce can be quoted where, if boards had not existed, there would' have been no educationfacilities whatever in rural' areas. ■

(5) Such questions as the removal of teachers, their interchange, the supply of relieving .teachers, the adjustment of difficulties between teachers and committees and parents, need much more nroiupt attention than could be afforded by the Central Department. Reference of such matters to Wellington would oauso endless delay and would often prove unsatisfactory.

(6) It is probable that under the Central Department the Public Works Department would have control over all building operations. Experience in New . Zealand.- does not go to show that this Department would carry ont'its -work as promptly as an education board. , (7) Boards have been responsible for many reforms in education. They have extended the benefits of education to outdjstricts oftentimes in spite of the attitude of. the Department. Education boards can .supply manifold instances in support* of this'statement. ' ' (8) The experience of boards goes to show that most applications are- at first declined or deferred, and that only after a strenuous contest are they granted The Department has proved itself a resisting body rather than a directing body. As an instance, in point it may be mentioned that recently, the associated boards, .with a full knowledge of the finances of school committees, unanimously urged Parliament to increase tho grants to committees by .£23,000. The chairman of. tho associated ..committees asked for .£20,000, but the Department urged that iCOOO would meet the position. Notwithstanding the representa-tions-made, Parliament; under the .Uill, was asked to grant only =£0000, but later under the Estimates it provided another .£SOOO. Committees will thus be! still under-financed by .612,000. This is an instance of Departmental method. ('.)> If education were centralised it must l>o remembered that the Minister is rarely an authority on education, and is therefore entirely in the hands of his Departmental- officers, from whose decision there is seldom any appeal. .(10) The condition's under which education, is" administered -differ so widely in various education districts that local knowledge is absolutely essential to sue-

(11) The only difficulty in the past in the ■way of carrying out the system of education was lack of sufficient monetary provision by" tho Central • Department. This is proved by the fact that Parliament has recently" tremendously increased the votes for education, since it proposes to spend three aad a half millions in the next three years for building requirements alone. ■ ■ ■ . (12) Boards maintain that since : iho inspectorate lias been taken over by the Department, the inspectors are not .nearly in such close touch-with the local needs of the different education districts as they were when under the control of boards. ■ .

(13) It would be impossible for the Department to take the place.' of education boards as live factors in the community, and local. interest Would be reduced in education, until it finally vanished.

."The.boards trust" (states the appeal, which is addressed* to teachers, school committees, and other electors), , "that you will carefully consider the reasons submitted to you in favour of their retention and will strongly resist the attempt now.bring made to abolish them. If. tho committees arc not satisfied with tho wayin which'members of boards arc fulfilling thoir duties, then they cah elect others more capable; but it is necessary for tho committees to understand the enormous difficulties placed in tho way of proper -administration by the Central Department. The harassing delays in attending to tho smnllest details of applications, and the insistence tmrely, ' oKl ' action being first approved by Departmental officers .before action is taken, desnite the fact that in many cases tho Department's inspectors havo already approved of the proposals of iho board, have proved most burdensome." Tho greatest Minister f>f Education tho Empire has seen (the Right Hon. H. A. L. Fisher) truly says: "The establishment of the teaching profession as a branch of the Civil Service would cut at the root of our-local system of education. Education is far too serious a. matter to be left to the educationists. Our system of education, is administered loyally, and, to an extent which can hardly lx> over-estimated, depends for its sufficiency unon the degree of nride which the locality' fakes in its schools and upon the degree of importance which it attaches to their efficient mainton•ance.-" These are weighty.words and well worth' pondering over. •