EDUCATION REFORM

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 84, 3 January 1920, Page 2

EDUCATION REFORM

TEACHERS' VIEWS REMITS CARRIED BY INSTITUTE The New Zealand Educational Institute opened its ■ thi.iy-seventh annual incoting in the Dominion Farmers' Institute yesterday morning. Mr, C. R. Mmnro (president) occupied tho chair. There was an attendance of some Go delegates. Authority to Carry On. The first remrfdiscussed was ane from the executive. It read as follows:— "(a) That tho N.Z.E.I, acknowledges aim iippreciati.-s the advance registered by tile temporary legislation of I'Jlll, especially as it ii accompanied with Hie assurance of iuither reforms next year; it reasserts the necessity tor extending tho education of the youth of tho Dominion to provide the fullest training of v.kich the individual is capable; and for controlling by regulation ilie hours of work and the wages of ichool cniidren before and alter school; it. reaffirms its conviction that tho national system of cducar lion can be best directed by a Nationnl Education Board, and can bo best administered by local education authorities; and it directs the executive to carry on its work of propaganda with all tho onergy and resources at tho command of the- institute, (b) That the institute demands that an end hi,put without i'urther (.elay to tho intolerable injustice perpetrated by some of the education boards in tlio appointment of tho leathers.'' The mover was .All'. W. H. Newton, who said that tlio executive was asking lor authority to carry on the ivork begun during tlio year. I he president seconded '.ho motion. It was the duty of the teachers, he submitted, to convince the public that education must never stand still. Progress should suffer no interruption, and older ideals must make way tor ideals suited to tho needs of to-day. Once, tho public was impressed with the urgency of the educational problem, reform might be expected. Mr. L. F. tie Berry (Tvangiuiui) said that the regulalioiu> issued by tlio Goveminent upon the matter of'compulsoiv continuation classcs should bo "shown to tlio public in all their inadequacy." National and Local Authorities. Replying to questions regarding the proposed establishment of a national education board, Mr. Nowton said Unit tho idea of tho institute was to ndvocate tho setting'up of a central controlling body with very amplo powers—rt body not independent of, but in very closo touch with, Parliament—plus a local authority. The institute did not c aim tho right or tho ability to settle all the details of the scheme, Mr. AV. Eudey (Otago) said that there appeared to bo a doubt as to what was meant by a "national education board." He therefore suggested that the remit should bo amended by omission of the reference to such a board. The conference could then unanimously affirm that the education system couid be best administered by local education authorities. J. C. Hull (Auckland) seconded Mr. Eudey's proposal. So far as ho could see, the executive sought the abolition of tho education boards and the centralisation of control. Until ihe could be shown that something better was io be put in place of the boards, he would not favour their abolitiori Miss N. E. Coad (Wellington), who is a member of the executive, said that the executive advocated the clothing of the local authorities with all possible power. Tho national board was to direct, control, and co-ordinate, but tho local authorities were, to administer and advise: so that the latter were to have very extensive powers in their hands. Mr. D. AV. Low (Pnlnie'tston North) said that if Mr, Eudey's amendment were passed, the work of last year's conlerence wculd be undone. Mr. G. Lippiatt (Auckland) said tlint the country was being starved for want of sufficient school staffing and adequate school accommodation. There was a tendency to lay tho blame for that upon tho educations boards. The boards, however, were not to blame, as there was "between them and the Government a bureau of officials. He agreed with the executive that there should be in AA'cllington some elective body to take the place of the presonl bureau of officials. Tho elective body should have executive power on the professional side cf the work; the financial and business side of tln> education system might ivfll he administered by about four education boards. The institute, lie suggested, might advocate a trial of four boards instead of the present nine. Air. de Berry said that some of the delegates who had contributed to the deliate had need to refresh their memories upon what the institute had decided at its meeting last year. The institute already, stood for the creation of such a body ns Mr. L'ppiatt thought so desirable. Tho institute was most anxious, moreover, to see adequate local control in education, and it was erroneous to believe anything else. Charges of Vagueness, Mr. F. G. Gibbs (Nelson) said that people were asking what were tho local authorities tlio establishment of which the inst.tute favoured. llow many were they to be? In-wlint relation wera they to stand to tho present system. l, 'He hoped tlint details would lie formulated at a convenient stage, and that they would be made public. Mr. H. F. Penlington (North Canterbury) also complained of vagueness in the institute's proposals. Mr. A. Hrskine (Wellington) said that last year the institute had made it: very clear what was intended with regard to n national education board. The. resolution that a national education board should ba ; established was carried without «. division. Now there were two-districts which wished to retain their present boards and were tending to bring tlio whole institute lack to where it lintl been before. The education boards themselves had nt their conference endorsed the institute's proposals by advocating that there should be'a Council of Education possessing executive powers. Tho institute stood'for practically the same thing. Mr. AV. O. Lamb (Auckland) protested against "nebulous proposals being i nt forward again." The institute had nothing concrete before them, iie said. Members were ono in their aspirations, but not so upon tho methods suggested for the realisation, of those aspirations. Was tho scheme one for neutralisation or for decentralisation? How was a higher piano of educational work to be attained through the establishment of 500 or even 250 local educational authorities? Mr. AV. G. lllackie (Southland) suggested that tho conference should at this stage affirm tlint the national system of education could "best lie directed by n national education board, and should leave, aside for the moment the question of administration by local authorities. It wis in the latter question, he submitted, that vagueness was to be found. Mr. Eudey's amendment (that tho reference to direction b.v a national board be deleted from the remit) was put to tho meeting, and was lost on a division. Four Boards Advocated. Mr. C. W. 0. M'Donald (Olago) moved that tho'words "can lie best administered by local education authorities" should bu struck out; with a view to the insertion of the following words: "And that tho Dominion be divided into four educational districts with an education board in control of each." Air. F.iulev seconded the ./amendment. Miss Coad opposed Ihe amendment on the ground that it meant the death of local control and the alienation of local interest. Mr. N. H. S. Law (Auckland) suggested a grouping of schools, which ho considered would lie suitable to administration by four boards. He urged- that greater powers should bo given lo school committees. A division was taken upon Mr. M'Donald's amendment, which was lost. "Intolerable Injustice." Tho secretary of the institute' (Mr. H. A. Parkinson) was invited to explain to the conference tho point of section (b) of the remit, which complained of "intolerable injustice perpetrated by education boards in (lie appointment of teachers." He said that the largest four boards had made of their districts watertight compartments, to which outside teachers

could not gain admission. While such conditions existed, the clnn.se of the Education Act requiring-hoards to appoint in ever case "the applicant host suited to the position" was being ignored. The Wellington, Canterbury and Otago Hoards made use of committees in order to shirk their responsibilities in the .matter of appointments. They had made a practice of sending to a committee three names of applicants. The committee not infrequently made a wrong choice. Sometimes a committee had not the data upon which to make a proper appointment. Mr. F. A. Garry (Hawke's Bay} was surprise;] •to learn that in any district committees had r>. say in appointments. He knew that legally boards had the power of appointment, but he had thought that as n matter of fact 110 one had a sav but the senior inspector. Mr. Hall defended the method of appointment used by the Auckland Education Board. Mr. A. 11ain /South Cantorhiirv) said that he knew of a.case in which three applicants' name 1 ! had been sent to a committee. Thes" names nnifeared mi the grading list as follow:—No. 10. No. 31. ami No. 34. No. 31 was npnointed. The words "in a manner not in accordance with the provMonc of the Act' were added to section (h) of the remit ill order to remedy the vagueness of the protest. The executive's remit was then adopted in toto. Other Remits. Mr. J. F. Wilson (Grev) moved: '.That the Department be .asked to give history iml civics that prominent place, in. the syllabus which the great importance of tiicio subjects warrants, nnd that they bo given a definite place .similar to that occupied by English and arithmetic. Mr. Wilson claimed that, history and c:vic,s had a big part to play- in the formation of. the judgment of our citizens. Mr. de Berry seconded the remit, which was lest on a diviskm. Most- members held Riiuilur views to those of the mover and the seconder upon the importance of the subjects, but they did not consider the change proposed in tho remit to be desirable. Other remits carried..were the following:— , , ~ "(a) That snecifie requirements .ie laid down 'by the Medical Inspectors or -Public Health Department) with respect to the cleaning of schools, which at present doss not ensure that the. schools are kept in a sanitary state, (b) That provision should be made for paying caretakers a wage that would enable them to conform to these requirements, and in the case of the larger schools to give their whole time to the cleaning of the school and the maintaining of the school premises in a pro»?r state of rc-pnir."—Grev. "That "it should be compulsory for school authorities to m£ ntain the same temperature in school rooms as employers aro 'bound to maintain in their workrooms."—Grey. At the evening session, Mr. .T, Caughley (Assistant-Divochr of T.ducalion) addressed the delegates on the grading scheme. His observation* ivcro nccessarilv lr'.ghlv technical, b'ut they wero listened to with the keenest attention by all tho teachers. Mr. Caughley received a vote of thanks. The conference adjourned till 9.30 this