ELECTION OF EDUCATION BOARDS.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 465, 8 October 1879, Page 2

ELECTION OF EDUCATION BOARDS.

The School Committees of the Wellington District have drafted the following petition, to be presented to tlie liouso o£ Representatives : The humble petition of the undersigned members of local committees of High Schools and of Common Schools, situated in the Educational District of Wellington, respectfully shuwi-th 1. That the system of electing Education Boards, established under the loth section of the Education Act, 1877, is unnecessarily cumbersome and complicated.—2. That the system referred to is, moreover, unsatisfactory ; because, from its very nature, it does not afford to the country committees, which are widely scattered, and have not the same facilities of inter-cominnnication as the town committees, that freedom of choice which is absolutely necessary to ensure the return of members who will make it their special duty and business to attend to the wants of their own specific districts, as well as to the educational district of which each Board has charge as a whole.—3. Tuat a more, simple and satisfactory method of election, to ensure a fair and just representation, would ha to divide each educational district into a convenient number of electoral districts, and to enact that each of these elelectoral district should return a member or members sufficient in the aggregate to make up the whole number of which the Board of each educational district consists.—4. That the present divisions of the colony into local districts afford ample facilities for effecting this change in the law Under which the national system of education is administered without expense, and with little trouble or difficulty.—6. That by this means the local committees, who at present form the*electoral bodies by wdiieh the members of the Boards are returned, would be enabled to act more easily in concert, and a very much more faithful representation of all parts of the district would be secured.—G. That under this system, if established, the election of each Board should take place annua ly, as soon as possible after the annual election of the local committees.—Your petitioners therefore pray that your honourable House may be pleased to amend the Education Act, 1877, in such a manner as may be necessary to bring into force a system such as is herein suggested.