Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1918. STATE SCHOOL REPORTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XL, Issue 1793, 23 February 1918, Page 2

Manawatu Herald SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1918. STATE SCHOOL REPORTS.

THE “Herald” has fallen foul of the Wanganui Education Board. At its last meeting, according to the Feilding Star, “strong objection was made to the publication of the inspectors’ reports on the Foxton school in the Manawatu Herald, and, in future, it was decided that these reports be private and confidential.” The only report we have published is the Inspectors’ annual report as forwarded to the, committee, which has never been considered confidential. Reports of a confidential nature are submitted to the head teacher during (he year, but we have neither seen or published such reports. It would he manifestly unfair to the teachers to publicly expose weaknesses contained in such reports, but such references are not included in the annual report. The Inspectors’ annual report is the only opportunity afforded parents of gaining information of a general character concerning the school, and to make this report confidential is absurd. Perhaps our criticism of the classification scheme and other defects in the system has ruffled (lie chief inspector. Whether reports on the local school arc to be considered confidential or not will not deter us fro/p from indulging in fair criticism on any suhjgpt concerning the welfare of the school.