The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 499, 4 December 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1877.

The account of the proceedings that took place at the meeting of- the School Committee yesterday must have been read with great interest by the public, and Ave regret that owing to pressure on our columns we were unable to give the gist of the arguments used by the members of the Committee in support of the various resolutions moved by them. One thing certainly seemed apparent; that the Committee desired to consider the subject under discussion temperately and carefully. Without altogether committing ourselves as to the strict interpretation of the Ordinance, we cannot but think that the Secretary to the Education Board erred somewhat in discretion in giving such publicity to his views on the subject, the more particularly as custom, at any rate, had sanctioned a different interpretation to the one he puts forward. Under the circumstances, however, we believe that the Committee, after receipt of the letters which appeared in yesterday's issue, followed the only prudent course that was left open to them, without bringing themselves perhaps violently and publicly into collision with the teachers —■ a circumstance which it was certainly judicious on their part to avoid, as such an occurrence would be calculated to do injury to the cause of education in this district. Had it not been for the injudicious manner- in which the letters from the lady teachers were penned — judging from what transpired in Committee —we are inclined to believe that it would have been possible for the Committee to have made amicable arrangements with the teachers for the carrying out of the proposed examination ; but the receipt of these uncourteously written letters seemed to decide the matter. Looking at the question of public examinations from a teacher's point of view, we readily admit that possible objections might fairly be raised—such as incompetency of examiners and an unhappy way of putting questions. This might naturally make a teacher unwilling to run the risk of his or her reputation as a teacher being injured : but, on the whole, we think the danger a rather remote one. We also believe thfit the teachers have chosen a most inopportune moment for offering objections, as by the admission made even in the Rector's letter the Committee had this year taken special pains to obtain suitable examiners. As a rule, good teachers have very little to fear from an examination of their scholars : and we must again express our belief that the teachers who wrote the letters referred to are standing in their own light by the action they have taken. We imagine that the lady teachers who wrote must have done so without due consideration. We cannot quite understand how their letters should have been sent to the Committee without passing J through the Rector's hands, and think it is much to be regretted that this course was not adopted. We are inclined to believe that, had any reasonable objection been urged as against the selection of examiners made by the Committee, such objections would have received due consideration. On the whole, perhaps it is just as well that this crisis (if such we may term it) has arisen, as it will probably be the means of bringing about a more definite understanding as to the duties of Committees. To ourselves, iL seems only reasonable that the public should have an opportunity occasionally of judging for themselves of school work as shown at an examination. We agree with the remarks made by Mr. Sumpter as to examinations inducing parents, teachers, and pupils to take more j interest in scholastic matters ; and j although, as stated at the commencement I of this article, we think the Committee could hardly do otherwise than they have

done, still it is much to be regretted that the usual examination will not take place. We can hardly close this article without expressing our sympathy with the pupils in that the Committee should have resolved, " under the circumstances, to take no further steps for collecting money for prizes this year," as it seems very like making the innocent suffer for the guilty. As we may possibly again have to refer to the matters now under consideration, we will refrain at present from further comment.