EDUCATION REPORT

Hokitika Guardian, 29 July 1930, Page 7

EDUCATION REPORT

MINISTER CONGRATULATED. In, a letter addressed to the Hon. L 'hl Attnore, Minister of Education, Mr I Fjde. Berry, president of the New Zei land ■Primary .Scnools Head Masters Association, and head master of th ISidrihoi:School at Dunedin, says:—“o behalf of/the New Zealand Primal , Schools Head Masters’ Association, desire, most heartily to thank you fo the copy y:of V.the Recess Committee’ Education Report. I have read 'tin report carefully,' and on behalf of tin • association convey to you and the Edu cation Committee our heartiest con gfatuiations. The association trust: that it will receive the earnest consid eratiqri of Parliament, and be so trans lated. into legislative Acts as to do velop to the full the youth of our land fitting them to fill a worthy place in all that'is creative and noble in our democracy.” • CRITICISM OF COMMITTEE’S RECOMMENDATIONS. ; , ; TIMARU, July 25. » :,“It has remained for a committee wholly composed of laymen to strike the deadliest blow that has been administered to local control of education since the national system was Introdeclared Mr A. E. Lawrence, one of ;the day* members of the Primary School Syllabus Revision Committee, in a statement to-day on the educotioh report., / ‘.‘The ironic aspect of the report of the Recess Education Committee is that ‘ten laymen whose collective ex-1 perience in the local administration of education is almost negigible, have considered themselves qualified to eVolve a : new education policy, which in; efiect, declares that all lay educationists frbin end to end of New Zealand, ‘thousands of whom have devoted a‘4ifetime to public service in the administration of education are unfitted to be entrusted with the least measure of hfcai 'control. The report itself i literally bubbles over with the * views l of thqj-pfofessional educationist, but the considered views of experienced! education .’authorities are wholly ignored. . Although extensive extracts of. the evidence are quoted; in the of ’Education: is well featured,, * the only personA outside the charmed circle of • the: teaching profession whose, views are considered ; of 'sufficient value J to have their evidence quoted in the A roport,' are the Hon. H. Atmore, who ! brought put clearly peveral important' points,pafid' teacher, who: is now rj&farmer.” ';-v‘ Mr suggested ■ that the explanationi'wasobvious. “handle -THE: Department.” . "■ V: .V," •• • •: . . . . ■\'f v ."' , -:v’ v V. •" '• ‘The. .rtepeft may jbe tlfe voice; of'the ' committ^fc;-he continued, ‘ ‘but tlie all 1 too clearly the, hand of the

, department. One significant omission which should be noted is that there is no report from the Director of Education on the estimated ccst of the junior high school scheme recommended by the committee. It is known that Mr Strong has already made tliis investiga- . tion. \Vby then deny the group of laymen the guidance of information already in' possession Of the department, and permit them to make the foolish blunder of reporting that the initiation of the new scheme need not be delayed oil the ground of additional expens * when; the Director of Education holds other views? j “it is true,” added Mr Lawrence, “that ,the report sugars a bitter pill by saying that the high school boards ( of governors will find in the important sphere already entrusted to them, every opportunity .of maintaining characteristic individuality and the best traditions of their schools and that the education board would oceu- | py a dignified and important place in the new system. “Moreover,” Mr Lawrence observed “sixteen 1 :-ithousarid school committeemen throughout New Zealand will no doubt be thrilled to learn that they' will gain rather than lose by being relieved of useless and unreal powers, but everyone who takes the trouble to read the report of the Recess Education i : Committeee and read it carefully will ! be forced to the conclusion that ' c the recommendations ' do not aim at j the unification of local control, but favour the crucifixion of local control c of education and the glorification oi ( bureaucracy centralised in the Depart-1 merit of Education in Wellington.” ' G