SCHOOL INSPECTOR.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1084, 10 September 1883, Page 3

SCHOOL INSPECTOR.

—; TO THE EDITOR. Sir,-— Much has been said and written about the above named official since his appointment in, I think, 1876, and many an effort has been put forth to try and get him ousted from the position be holds. The present attempt by one or two members of the Education Board to have him dismissed seems to me to be about on a par with similar attempts during the copse of former years, and which proved on investigation to have arisen cither from personal motives or from a most frivolous charge of some kind or other. Now I have no desire to defend the Inspector, beyond what seems fair and right. We can scarcely expect him to be faultless, as he probably belongs to the human family, and members of that circle do occasionally err with perhaps the exception of the one or two members of the Board—who are about to bring him to book. But all this is outside of what I specially want to get at, namely, the connection between Education Boards, School Committees and Inspectors of Schools. They arc all mixed up in a mysterious way in the Act of 1876, and if the Wanganui Board interprets that Act in a way to suppose they have absolute and independent power to deal with such matters, the . question seems to be, is it wise or right, or fair or judicious to do so, without consulting the Committees ? The Committees are the real representatives of the people, because they are elected by the people, but the Boards are elected by the Committees, and should not attempt to deal with such matters as the appointment or dismissal of an Inspector, without in some way taking first the opinion or those who put them in office, and who in. many cases have a far better opportunity of forming an unbiassed opinion on such matters, particularly the question of School Inspection, And I venture to say that if the notice of motion to be considered at next meeting of the Board were submitted to the committees, it would be negatived by a largo majority.—Yours &e,, Colonist. Patea, Sept. 8.