Inspectors and Boards.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 26 March 1891, Page 2

Inspectors and Boards.

On Monday a deputation, representing the New Zealand Educational Institute, waited upon the Minister of Education, and during th? interview it was made very evident that it is necessary that the appointment and control of the Inspectors should be placed in the hands of the Department. Of course the deputation wanted much more than could be granted, but the alterations that apparently could be made. ere mi . peded, simply bec^o the 'inspector were not ameers of the Department, and indeed this was the reason given by the Inspector-General, who said that " the Department had ten years ago declared that all they required in the teaching of history to the Third Standard was that say 25 striking pictures of events in history should be placed before the children, and all that they should be expected to do was to satisfy the Inspector that they understood the mt;inin,^ of the pictures. The fact was th;U tii-d standards had been misinterpreted from the very outset, and made into a bondage that was never contemplated." When the subject of freedom of classification was brought up, the Minister said — "It wis said about the pass system that under it the bright children were held back and the dull ones pushed on, but without it might not the teach n- be charged with pushing on the bright ones and neglecting the dullards ? " but to this it was stated thai n Tnspector would naturally i.-'.-.- ;i teacher to task if he classified his > pupils wrongly. Efficient inspection should meet that. Again, on the j subject of percentages, Mr Habens, the Inspector-General, said that the object was to get a general review of : the kind of progress that was being . made throughout the country. The < system h?A, however, developed into 1 a rivalry b.;L ween teachers. One of ' the deputation pointed out that j classification needed no alteration of , tfie law, an Order-in-Oouncil would \

effect the change. The Minister promised to considei the whole question. The meeting, if it does nothm, more than bring out public y tile opinions as to the proper position of Inspectors, v/ill have been of riuch service, as Mr Habensgave it, a'; his personal opinion, that if all the inspectors were under personal control, improvements in the system of inspection could be made. But : 1 any case ho thought that ii the regulations were properly coustrued, they contained more liberty than was generally supposed.