MINISTRY AND BOARDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 392, 28 June 1928, Page 13

MINISTRY AND BOARDS

REVISION OF EDUCATION ACT NEEDED TRAINING COLLEGE STAFFS (From Our Resident Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. In view of the Education Board's condemnation of the proposed regulations governing the appointments to training college staffs, the Minister of Education, the Hon. R. A. Wright, today stated that he has decided not to ask Cabinet to recomnftnd the issue of an Order-in-Council, and in consequence the regulations will proceed no further. “The dispute between the Wellington Education Board and the department must be settled by' means other than that of regulations,” said Mr. Wright. “It is evident that the duties of the boards and the department in governing training colleges must be more clearly outlined. The existing system of dual control is fraught with considerable mischief. Either the department must have less and the boards more power, or vice versa. “As a matter of fact, there is nothing in any statute giving the boards control of the training colleges. Such power as is enjoyed by the boards has been given solely by a regulation which has proveef incapable of preventing a deadlock. An overhaul of the Education Act is long overdue, but the task is one that will take considerable time, and the law draftsman will reqtiire the assistance of the Director or the Assistant-Director of Education for at least 12 months in order to complete the work. “When the Act is in course of revision,” concluded the Minister, “th© powers of the boards and the department can be more clearly defined, and Parliament must decide between the parties. The dispute between the Wellington Education Board and the department must be settled" by means other than that of regulations.”