EDUCATION BOARDS

Evening Star, Issue 19789, 13 February 1928, Page 11

EDUCATION BOARDS

THE ABOLITION THREAT (.Special to the ‘Stab.’] WELLINGTON, February 13. There was a good deal of discussion several mouths ago over a persistent report that the Government was being advised by the Minister of Education to make drastic changes in the system of administering primary education, and that the education boards as now constituted would be abolished, and more extensive local powers given to school committees. As the education boards function\ery actively, and could make a good case nut lor their retention, the storm passed without damage to these bodies, and the most which could be gleaned from the Hon. 11. A. Wright (Minister of Education) was that the Government had' not originated the report. “It was simply a report from the department to the Minister, neither more nor less, and the contents eventually became public property.” He complained that before he could get the report under consideration by Cabinet, the contents seemed ’to get into the bands of a section of the public. However, the Minister showed that lie had been seriously considering some plan involving changes, as ho expressed concern over expenditure by the boards, and indicated that he intendeo to have an investigation made into their status and functions, with a view to preventing overlapping. He thought this might be secured by enlarging the functions of school committees and imposing more work on them by a process of decentralisation The Minister’s statement was made five months ago, and there has been no move in the direction of the suggested investigation of the general working of the education board system. Inquiries indicated that the whole idea has been dropped, at any rato for the present year. The Government, viewing its plans as a whole, sees that one of the biggest investigations of recent years, covering the economic position of the farmer, will have to be vigorously pursued in time_ to formulate legislation for next session, and this is a big enough task for the i .coss. Education, too, will receive an overhaul in one respect,'as the committee which has been inquiring into the primary school syllabus is expected to meet in' Wellington on February 21 to complete its report. This will no doubt be followed by extensive changes, a task sufficient to keep departmental officers occupied without raising the bigger and more controversial question of the status of education hoards.