AN EDUCATIONAL SCANDAL IN CANTERBURY.

Kumara Times, Issue 1111, 22 April 1880, Page 4

AN EDUCATIONAL SCANDAL IN CANTERBURY.

; A curious story— and a very scandalous ope at j that—reaches us from Timacu ; rad if the facts of the case, as narrated by the Timaru Telegraph, are anything like correct, they demand either an immediate investigation at the hands of the Governor that the Rev. George Barclay, member of South Canterbury Education Board, should at once set up purging his good name. It is stated that at a certain meeting of the Board some time ago, the Rev, George Barclay carried a resolution that the examination for scholarships should be held six weeks earlier this year, and that the Rev. George Barclay’s son (who)wasone of the successful prize-takers, collaring aL 36 scholarship), would have passed the standard age, i,e., his 14th birthday before the examination could have been held had not the date originally fixed been altered ; the boy then would have had to take hia place in a higher class. The reverend examiner and members of the Board ** was the only examiner in arithmetic in the class in which hia son gained the scholarship.” And it is further stated that *he father himself drew up, or assisted to draw up the very examination papers. It is broadly hinted too, that ’as shown by the published list of works young Barclay was greatly superior to his associates in arithmetic while inferior in any other things. We shall now quote the Telegraph, which says . —“ We may, perhaps, pause to consider the natnre of the [questions and problems submitted to a class of school boys under fourteen, in this particular examination in order to discover wherein the extraordinary cleverness of this one pupil over the rest lies. Amongst other trifles we find that a boy of only thirteen is required to explain the term 3 percent, consols at 95§,’ and a problem too long to reprint demands the cost of fencing at L 67 per chain! We can barely imagine Mr Barclay paying this price for his own fences, and it is unbusiness like, not to stay ridiculous, to introduce such nonsense into a sound commercial education. A boy who is led to believe at school that fencing cost L 67 per chain will, the moment he discovers the deception, naturally enough entertain feelings of uncertainty in the other branches of his sound education, and his confidence in himself will be materially shaken as he reaches man’s estate. The last problem of the series we give in toll, and leave our readers to judge of its adaptability to the intellect of boys under fourteen • 11. In a recent telegram from London it was stated that the five per cent. New Zealand loan (of five millions) wns quoted at 103 A. What would it take to purchase the whole stock at this rate 1 and what per cent, would th ® P ur chaser receive for his money . Now what on earth can these little schoolboys know of five million loans, quotations, and all that sort of thincr w,TL 6lti f er b ° t r . n Colenso8 > or specially ooamed for the occasion] It looks significant of this, that, out of a possible , tr obtainable under this head. Barclay obtained 48, while the nearest to approach to this was the total of Mary J, M'Lean, who with her 26 had no idea, beforehand of the nature of the problems to be worked out.” We shall await with more than usual interest any action that the Board of Education of South Canterbury, the Rev. George Barclay himself—or the Government, if the two former do not move in the matter m s y , d u em L tifc to tak9, S r °ss public scandal has been brought to the light of day,, in which the character of a nominated official as well as that of a Clergyman is most seriously involved