OUR SMALLER SCHOOLS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 28 October 1901, Page 2

OUR SMALLER SCHOOLS.

The Colonial Scale of Teachers' Salaries Bill has passed the Lower House, and the Premier has by telegram advised the various heads of Educational Institutes of the fact. The Bill is based upon the lower scale of £4 suggested by the Education Commission. The Bill, in its way, and so far as it goes, is in the right direction, but in districts having a number of small schools it will work badly, and will require amendment, unless, indeed, these small country schools are to bo closed, or the teachers paid even less salaries than at present. Ihe Chairman of the recent commission, who by the way, in his p'ace in the House, is a strong advocate for settling the people on the land, exhibited a strange hostility towards concessions to these smaller and outlying schools, that would more than anything else, cause settlers to be satisfied with their lot. Many a small farmer will toil on and put up with the discomforts, disabilities, and hardships, incident to out settlement if his children’s education is not neg’ected, which apparently it has a good chance of being, unless consideration is extended to these small but necessary and useful educational establishments. It is conceded that out settlement is a valuable adjunct to tbe State, and the State recognising this should see that the offspring are not neglected in such an important matter as education. We trust the Bill will be amended in the direction we have indicated.