The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1884. School Inspectors

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 49, 7 October 1884, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1884. School Inspectors

Some of our contemporaries are regretting that the Bsll introduced in the House by the member for Waipawa, entitled The School I nspection Bill, was rejected j by a majority. At the last moment, when the passing of the Bill was almost secured, the dread cry of centralism was raised and decided its fate — for this session at least. We think that the appoinment of Inspectors by the Education Boards, although open to objection, is tar preferable to the power to make such appointments being relegated to the Government. A local Board is so open to public criticism, and its members generally hold such widely divergent views, that any person who succeed in being appointed by them to the position must necessarily have produced credentials of the best kind, and if he is able to satisfy his official superiors for a couple of years, he has amply proved his efficiency. On the other hand, Ministers have not the same reasons for being careful in making appointments, and if this patronage was put in their hands, there is not the slightest doubt but that it would be abused by the appointment of political friends, whether qualified or not. As these gentlemen would be quite independent of the Edacation Boards, being only responsible to the Government, the whole system of education in a district under incompetent supervision would go to utter ruin betore the Board even suspected such a calamity. If it is desirable to appoint one officer, why not the wholeP and incorporate the teaching staff of the colony into the already over-swollen Civil Service. There appears a great dread of Inspectors forming private friendships for individual teachers by being allowed to come too much in contact with them during a lengthy residence in one district, and that favoritism may result. We do not believe this for one moment. Or, if such a feeling did appear in any of the Inspectors' reports it would be detected and expoxed by the Education Board. We are not great admirers of Education Committees as now constituted, but we have a high opinion of the members of the Education Boards in the aggregate. In the past they have administered the power placed in their hands with justice and impartiality with very few exceptions, and in the latter cases only where one ignorant or prejudiced member has for a brief season leavened his coadjutors. The general tone of their labors has been good and wise. They have done their work well.for their hearts have been in it. As the years have gone on since the education system now in vogue . started, they have gained valuable experience, of which the young are now deriving the full benefit. Instead oi limiting their power we would prefer seeing it added to. We do not say it is impossible ior the Government to appoint good School Inspectors, but we do say that it is very unlikely. We need only point out the miserable failure they have made in the appointment of Sheep Inspectors, where the special qualifications required are very small in comparison with that of School Inspectors. If an inefficient man be appointed by an Education Board, his removal is certain, sooner or later, but in the ease of a man appointed by the Government being unfit, he would simply be removed .from place to place until either he learned his duties or died of old age, after doing incalculable harm to the young. v