Mr Thynne's Manifesto

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 78, 10 December 1885, Page 3

Mr Thynne's Manifesto

To iho Chairmen and members of the School Committees within the Wanganui Educational District. Gentlemen, — The impetuous action of the Wanganui Education Board in ■giving reprimands and notices to leave to so m-(ny head teachers, after the last examination hy the Inspector, has called forth a very strong remonstrance from all parts under their supervision ; and it now needs strong united action on the part of the committees, so that a thorough change may be made in the members of the Board at the ensuing election. -Th> shortcomings of the present members nre shown in the easy manner that a ry statement made by either their Inspector or Clerk is accepted, and acted upon without reference te any extenuating circumstances that could be offered by the teachers or committees, and very frequently without the least reference to them. TLe injustice thus inflicted is apparent, more especially when it is seen that the past action of the Board has been so thoroughly condemned in every particular, in buildings erected, school apparatus, pass manner of inspeci m, and text aad copy bodes, Vy the Inspector, whose dictum they «re now prepared to accept with un ji.es iouing obedience. If the Board is prepared, to admit that their p. ist uc-wu has hewn so detrimental to the district- as ii is showu to be in the "Inspector's last annual report, it *is well to consider if they may not vow be running as far in another direction. The Inspector did not enter upon his duties till April 1884, and had so little time at his disposal that he was unable, previous to his examinations, to visit eaoh school once, and his want of time compelled him to examine 61 schools between (September and Christinas. He was only able to pass 19 pupil teachers, out of 44 candidates, and he found that out of 74 head teachers, 22 were wholly uncertificated. The teacher's position, - then under the Board, has been that a large number of the children have been under the. care of those . who are not ul a position to do them justice,: and that the head teachers have not yet been supplied with sufficiently advanced assistants. The ac-oo-uunotla i-»n for scholars has been cramped, and the proportion of scholars to teachers much too large. These facts alone should have been sufficient to have made the Board pause before issuing their reprimands ahd dismissals off hand, and sufficient to have induced them to have called upon thr teachers to report whai extenuating circumstances they had to show, .for their bad percentages. 'But in addition to the above itißWeffinown that {or certain periods 'schools have been without the full complement of- teaching power that is even considered necessary hy the Board: that' frequent changes of teachers have been made, some just prior tp the examination. liastly, hut. most important, the Inspector "has constituted himself a judge superior to the. Education Act mb to the age. a child should be presented for the first standard, and has expressed his opinion that before a child should be allowed to pass that standard he should hot enly have received the necessary instruction, but ** much beyond it." The bad percentages in most schools arose from the failures in Standards 1 and 2, which are more immediately under the charge of young pupil-teachers who have quite lately been recommended to tiie schools by the Inspector, and for whom neither the teachers nor the committee can reasonably be held answerable. Yet the head teachers are sjßgled put. for reprobation, and thei committoes for punishment "by the loss of -ihem. The position in the district for -^future, is not promising. The large numbers of the head teachers who.hayevbeen told to leave, and the numbers who will leave to avoid the chance of being told to, will soon reduce! the number, and the difficulty that the Board will have m replacing them, will cause a number of the schools, .to be closed. The remedy appears to be the early substitution of men upon the Board who will take more* individual inter st in the work-; ing of the business, and who will free themselves from the dictation of one or two of the permanent officials who will dismiss the consideration ofthe pro "Tress of the school froui the " demon^pecroent^ge," and who" will adopt some system whereby the Inspector can be relieved ;bf. a. portion of his work to enaHejmm po. deyote more of

his time to what he declares to be his important duty of occasional visiting, and who will effect such arrangements that more teaching power may be given to the large lower standards. The Board should endeavor, and insist on the Inspector extending sympathy and support to the teachers, without which, from the parents, Mr Bindon has stated he considers the teachers will be unable to successfully cultivate the moral and intellectual faculties of those under their care. To obtain united action, it will be necessary for the committees to communicate with each other, and I should be nappy to assist in any way it may be thought desirable.;— l am, Gentlemen, yours faithfully, I Eauxest S. TIIYXXE. I Foxton, December 5, 1885. \