South Canterbury Times. MONDAY, APRIL 26, 1880.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2217, 26 April 1880, Page 2

South Canterbury Times. MONDAY, APRIL 26, 1880.

The Chairmen of the School Committees of South Canterbury held their first conference on Saturday, Considering- that one-half of the schools in the district were represented the attendance may be designated satisfactory. The business of the conference was important, and the unanimity displayed in dealing with the resolutions that were proposed, may be regarded as a hopeful sign. The first resolution, winch emanated from the Tcniuka Chairman, was very properly rejected. We say properly, because it was of an absurdly sweeping character. The proposal to abolish the existing Education Boards, and substitute a Council of Education for the whole colony at Wellington is such a crazy notion, that wc arc not astonished that the conference quietly sat upon it. In treating it as they did, the members of the conference showed their good sense. Whatever may he the faults of the Education Boards, they have not boon created in vain, and it would he a most ungraceful thing on the part of the representatives of (he Committees not to acknowledge their usefulness. At the same time wc believe (ho Education Boards arc capable of being materially improved, both as regards their constitution and mode of working. Hitherto, it is undeniable that (ho Boards and the Committees have not been working as smoothly as is desirable. Jarring and discord appear to have been the rule, and not the exception. The bones of contention have been various, but they liavc almost invariably been fought over with great bitterness. This is not what might be anticipated from an educational milloninm. This kind of behaviour on the part of the seniors is not likely to improve the juvenile ideas of good fellowship and school discipline. Still the case of the Boards and the Committees is not so desperate as to demand the intervention of the executioner and the extinction of either of the billigcrents.. What is required is a better system of organisation on the part of the Boards, so that between them and the School Committees there may be entire harmony of action. At present there arc different causes all tending to disturb an amiable relationship. Suspicion and jealousy arc mutually indulged in. The committees perceive in the efforts of the Education Boards to make themselves as useful as possible, a dangerous desire to absorb functions that do not belong to them; and the Boards in some cases, would seem to have taken a sort of malicious delight in assuming to exercise an imperious sway over their discontented subordinates. If only a little conciliation were displaj'cd, we believe, the bickerings that so often mar the good feelings (hat ought to prevail between these representative bodies would very rarely occur.

The question arises—How is an improvement to be effected ? How is the bond that should connect Hoard and Committee to be established and strengthened ? The process should not be diflicult. One great thing to be arrived at is simplicity. The system of; election both of Committees and Boards should be simplified. Cumulative voting may have its recommendations in certain instances but, on the whole, it is undoubtedly pernicious. The Boards ought to be the creation of the Committees and both Boards and Committees should go through the process of election annually. By this means something like harmony of action will be brought about. The expenses of the Boa idsis a. very secondary consideration, so long ns (he outlay is necessary and not extravagant, hut the utmost care should be taken by the Boards to see that their disbursements are made in a fair, open and above-board manner. Above everything distribution of the funds should not be left to the discretion of a servant. The South Canterbury Board has brought a good deal of discredit upon itself by endowing its only officer, of whose ability and efficiency we have a very high opinion, with an amount of patronage and lesponsibility which is as unfair to the officer alluded to, as it is pre judicial to the public interests. The great fault of our local Board is their lax system of supervision. An}- Board that allows its secretary to become ajkind of axe-grinder for any of its members, and to deal with the correspondence of committees in a slip-shod fashion must expect that it will sink into contempt. As regards the appointment or transfer of teachers these matters should be easily and comfortably arranged between the Committees and the Boards. The latter can have no possible interest in standing between the Committees interested and eligible applicants. There can he no doubt that the framers of the Education Act intended that the choice should lie with the Committees, and that the Boards should merely act as a body of supervisors, or court of appeal in eas 3 of injustice. To give the power of selection to the central body, or to confer it to a certain extent on both, would make the position of teacher most undesirable. The conference, on the whole, has laid bare some evident defects in the Education Act, and it has thrown out some suggestions that will no doubt receive the earnest consideration of the political head of the education department.