ATMORE REPORT

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 70, 19 September 1930, Page 11

ATMORE REPORT

ADMINISTRATION COSTS

MINISTER ADDRESSES MEETING

The Hon. H. Atmore (Minister of Education) and Messrs. J. A- Young and P. Eraser, M.P.'s, addressed a meeting of members of school committees and parents* associations on the Education Committee's report in tho Trades Hall last night. Mr. A. G. Jorgcnson

presided. Mr. Atmorc thanked the school committee officials for gathering the committee representatives together to hear tho addresses. Regarding the importance of the report, a Reform paper had been kind enough to say that what the Hadow report was to Great Britain this report was to New Zealand. That might sound a littlo egotistical, MX ho believed that if they went into the report they would see that the Bepess Committee went quite as fully into education matters in' New Zealand as those who prepared the Hadow report did into those in the Old Country. Educationists and thinking men and women throughout the world were seeing that education was the key enterprise of life. All was not well to-day with our education system. It did not keep place with the demands and requirements of modern life, and it was with that idea in mind that he had j asked Parliament to allow the Committee to make the report.

EXPENSIVE ADMINISTRATION.

Mr. Atmore referred to the old. provincial governmental system of education and the contest between the provincialists and the centralists. As changes in the education, system had been mado machinery had been left in motion which led to waste of money, and in cost of administration ours was the most expensive system in. the British Empire. It would perhaps be a surprise to them to know that the Government had no power whatever _as to the scale of payments that education boards made to their clerical staffs. The report, said the Minister, provided for every type of intellect. They were trying to' discover the-' aptitude of each child, and the limit of the education given to that child should be the limit imposed by the capacity of the child and nothing short' of that. As Minister he had refused to sanction the increased charges to technical students,.pointing;out that it was a fair charge to the community for the development of national assets. . : NO CENTBALISAiION. Every member of Paflianventj continued Mr. Atmore, had been borribarded with questions about the report, principally from the Auckland Province, and it was from that city that .a protest had come against "centralisation in Wellington." At the present time there was only one primary school board in the Auckland district, and it controlled one-third of the primary pupils in New Zealand. The report proposed to have .another board in the Auckland district, with headquarters at Hamilton, and another ..with headquarters at Whangarei, .while still retaining the Auckland Board, so that instead of centralising control ; in Wellington, the proposal was to give the Auckland people control of educational matters in their own province, ■ ■

There was no possibility of getting an increased grant for school committees if it was to come.out of the.present education vote' of four millions; said Mr. Atmore, but there was a certainty of getting it if the .Committee's unification proposals were carried out, because they would avoid wasteful duplications and produce a saving of £70,000. Regarding the appointment of teachers, which the boards said they did, the Minister said that only a shadow of that power was- now left the boards, for the reason that' teachers were appointed on "their grading, which was decided by the senior inspector, who was an officer of the Department. Neither did the boards actually do the paying of teachers. Tlie report now proposed to give the boards real powers, and the Department would be giving up more than it was asking. The suggestion made; in the report for the appointment of teachers was,, he felt, a thoroughly democratic proposal. Without making any reflection on the members of the boards, he felt sure that the proposals embodied in the report met the need for progress and .would prevent inonoy being frittered away through a multiplicity of. governing bodies. NOT BASED ON FACTS. Another resolution had come from Auckland which was not based on facts. The statement had been made that it was proposed to hand over the erection of school buildings . and their maintenance to the Public Works Department. That had only been a witness's suggestion, and was not embodied in the recommendations of . the Committee. . . . .. ' The report proposed to reduce the number of boards from 54 to 18, .but it did not propose to take away local authority. Mr. Atmbre closed his address with complimentary' references to the work of. school committes and such organisations as home and school and parents' associations. . "BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTION."

"Tho findings which ■we presented in the report represent what we honestly believe as a result of the evidence which was put before us," said Mr. J. A. Young, M.P. "We do not say that these recommendations are infallible or the absolute 'last word1 on the subject, but we do believe that in tho light of the evidence presented they are the. best possible solution, in the meantime." "Regarding legislation on the proposals, . Mr. Young said that Parliament would not allow such legislation without careful, consideration, and an opportunity being given to all sections of the community to express their views. The awakened interest in education brought about by tho Committee's report, of which the night's meeting was an evidence, was a healthy sign, for when there was a wide and intelligent interest in educational questions there was no fear for the future of the democracy. Mr. Young dealt with the recommendation of the Committee regarding the raising of the compulsory school age and tho break at 11 plus. The whole idea guiding the Committee had been to solve problems of education and to bring our system into line with the best in other parts of the world. He urged all present to mako a careful study of the report in the spirit of trying to solve the problems which the Committee had attempted to solve. "AN ADVANTAGE." In supporting the general Hue of thought and argument already advanced by his colleagues, Mr. P. Eraser, M.P., laughingly remarked that the Committee had at least had the advantage of starting not as experts. He commendod the committees for holding the meeting, and hoped that others Would follow throughout the Dominion. After Mr. Fraser had dealt comprehensively with, various aspects of the report and ' the Committee's methods of arriving at its conclusions, I and after Mr. Atmore hoA rcpliprt to