EDUCATION

Hokitika Guardian, 22 November 1930, Page 7

EDUCATION

UNITY OF CONTROL DEFENDED. DEFECTS ALLEGED IN PRESENT SYSTEM. CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 20. Clearing away much of the mis;, which has risen round the recommendation of the Education Committee that the control of education in the Dominion be unified, Mr J. G. Poison, past president of the New Zealand Education Institute and vice-Prinoi-pal of the Christchurch Training College, asserted before the Canterbury School Committees’ Association last night that teachers stood isquarely behind the principle of the recommendation. He admitted that many of the details of how the theory was to be put into practice remained obscure, but lie scouted the idea that local control was to be weakened. An illuminating account of how our “wretched tri-partite system” had risen, aimlessly, and largely from unhealthy rivalry among contending factions, formed an instructive part of his address.

THE FIRST TEST. “If sweeping changes are contemplated and existing institutions are in danger of being swept away, what is the test of the efficacy of such ohangesP" asked Mr Poison, “Surely the first and only test munt be: Are they good for the child?’ If they are, then they must receive our support find yours. '“The wretched three-fold divisions which exist in our system to-day are largely the result of the unhealthy rivalry of the past. There is no justification for High School and Technical School Boards as they exist to-lay but it is easy to see how they have grown up. The struggle for supremacy brought with it different classifications in different departments, and what happened to the child during the struggle? He suffered. "We can remember the extremes to which Mr Hogben was constrained to go to force the free place system ipto secondary, schools which were dosed except for-privileged classes. “In the primary schools, to-day we have men • and women with qualifications as high as those in any . other branch of the service, yot what is their .status? I hold that they, are doing the most valuable . work, because, if the* foundation is weak, what is to . happen to the superstructure ? LOCAL AND NATIONAL FUNCTIONS. “Thus the Institute stands for the unity of control as an attempt to remedy the evils of this threefold division. In each district there would be a body—l do not mind what it is called—which will control the education, in that district, We believe the unity of control should be the area, not the school, but we also believe thut there are certain functions of education which can rightly be regarded as national, and these must be retained by the central department.

“The payment of teachers, their classification and appointment are three functions which some say shornd be in the hands of the local authorities, but we are looking for a national register of teachem, So far as appointments go even now in the primary schools Boards have only nominal power.

DETAILS OBSCURE. “I must admit that the, details. oi how the scheme is to be practised are obscure in the report. The powers which are to be given to local authorities are also inadequately denned. What the Institute wants to nee abolished is petty interference by the central authority in affairs which are essentially local. When the Minister addresses you I hope you will ask him to define where the responsibility of local bodies begins and ends.” A DIFFERENT ANGLE; The secretary of the Association \Mr S. R. Evison) said that Mr Poison had enunciated tlie teachers’ viewpoint of the recommendations in the report, but committeemen were apt to approach them from a different angle. Consequently everything said by Mr Poison might not be accented by them. Until they were quite clear about the details and their precise effect on local control they did not favour interference with the existing.' powers of Education boards. Mr Poison: If anything were d ,ne to lessen the powers of local autlioritvs teachers would be disappointed indeed. I don’t think it is intended, and wo certainly do not want it, but we do want things national to be kept under national control. Tlutfc is essential for a contented teaching service which means so much to the welfare of the children. Mr Poison was thanked for his address.