The Daily News SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1906. SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81893, 24 November 1906, Page 2

The Daily News SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1906. SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Anybody who envies the billet of the ] backbiocks schoo: teacher ought to get a billet as a school teacher to punish him for his envy. The press wire lecently published, showing the troubles of a sole teacher in Otakou (Otago) revives the contention that one of the curses of education in this country is the school-committeeman, either singly or 111 a bunch. It isn't DUeii, certainly, that a teacher has- to put up witn a drunken conuuitteo-

111 an who uses the schooliiousc fur a iiL'bauch to ihc annoyance to the teacher and as an execrable example • o Ihe children, and it is to be hoped 1 hat the Otakou case is an isolated one.

Bui in the case of back-country camnuitees these are the facts. First of al! the Education Beard does not -are who becomes a committeeman. A

knowledge of education is not required. Education in a committeeman is not necessaiy. In countless cases the committeeman is an interfering ignoramus. Often he has one or iwu cnildrcn in the school he helps to '■rule." In most of the cases of trouble between committeemen and teachers til- committeeman's child is the reason for the row. In countless cases committeemen interfere with the teacher when it is no duty of the said committeeman to be anywhere near til) school. The 011 y time a eommiitcmau is authorised to enter the school is when he has been sent- by the committee. A committeeman's job is looked upon by many ignorant men in the country as tne mosi important position in the countryside.

An ignorant man nearly always likes to show any power he believes himsell to possess, and he as a ru'e believes tuat he knows the last thing about education and is du y qualified to instruct and hat'aiss a teacher at all hours of the day. In the particular case winch is ihe inspiration ol this article one committeeman made a prodigious noise and challenged the teacher to tight. If the teacner had, as he might in justice have done, given the committeeman a thrashing the Board ol Education would most probably nave discharged the 'cachet'. As matters stand both tuo drunken committeeman and the iightable committeeman; were fined. There is nothing to prevent this sort of person tioiti adorning committees in iu.uie.

A FEW years ago a icachcr by the ! name of Frederick Lough was per- 1 sibtuntiy annoyed by a schoo.-cominu-who (juuu unlawfully used to drifiuilo th<? schoul and cieale a disturbance. Lough order?, commands and so on from nis jntei.uctuai inferior ior quae a whiK* until unable to bear it .ougci, |ue picked up an Indian club and nit tin* commiitteman in ilie place where it would hurt the most. Lough was sent to gaol for two years, lie had 110 right lo hit the man and uie man had no right to interfere witn ivurk knew nmiiiog about. Lough was discharged from the public service.

1 HERE are many cases in which csmiuiuee interference has been shown and which we could quote, but tins will suffice. In numerous eases the iff of lady schoolteachers have been j made unbearable by 'he interference! and insults of committees. There is no need for committees. Their only real value is in getting up concerts to pay the firewood bill, which the Government ought to be ashamod to allow. The work of inspection usually given to two or three inetnbeis of'a committee is usually done in a must desultory fashion, merely because the conimitteefueii have 110 special knowledge. If 1 uty have no special knowledge, and, as is usua their ideas of education are bounded bv the learning of their own children, why school committees at all ?

Many a good schoolteacher—the mos. valuable of all our pub ic servants—nave been forced out of the service because ol a row with the committeeman. Why tile Boui'd of Education snuuld accipt tne testimony of nonexpert's in any case between committee and loacner is not known. ft never will be known. ft is 011 tlie same principle by which a court ac;CiptS tlie testimony of it constat).e ui proterence to 1110 testimony of anybody ei.-e, because the po.iceman ueais a uniloini. The intolerable and ignorant interference to wiucli teachers are subjected is bad for education, bad lot uisc.piine, bad for tue sett.eis who become c imiiiittemen, iov tne possession of alleged power toy men w.lO kuptv uotnuig ol its just use is dangtious to alt concerned.

The duties of school committees could be better done by coinui.s-i juers wiiu had 110 particu ar inu ie>i in any given school, and, above ail, uo children in any schoo. ili-y iiad any power over. t lie assumption ul "airs bv cmhbvii because meir fathers "are, as iliey b'-l'i've, Mc power of "sack 1 over the teacher is a common fcatuie uf country sciiools, Stich a slate of alfairs sUuuld not be tolcr-' ated for a moment. We know we.l enough thai there are good capable school committees in some pans 1 Tai'anaki, and we know just as well thai iheie ate others that- shou.d. be dissolved at once for the feasons which we set out. It i s better in tlie iuteiests of education and in the interests of fairness 10 an invaluable class of public servants that committees become ihings of the past.

Ka.NK favoritism is on*/ of the besetting Mils uf country school committees and rank favoritism in any public busiue.-s is dishonest and to be The town school committees are compara,.' 1 " iiuijn* less because tiny arc more under the eyes of 1 Bo.uds, and they being haimless are a.most useless. Many committeemen will uf comse rise ill tneit \unih aud point lo the work they have done for this, that or the oilier school. All of which may be granted, but toe fact remains that tlie school committee is one uf the many lea-ons why the ptofe.-sion does not attract our young people.

Inn person who does not believe in the cur-e of committer's sii.m'd at once get on his horse and ride away !•» thr baek-1,1. rk- and int'-iviett tea-I'iii-is M-p.-ti I|y sol,, ic,i(■])'■ ts. He ine.l no!. , ; <<epl tli,. tcstimenv of oil' 1 two or three teach.'lS. lie ran thr (Miisl.wus of opinion. A voting paper in tlie following well-known might I)'' sent to every teacher: "I vote that the number of committees be reduced'': "I vote thai 'lie number of school c.mimitt' os rema. 11 as lie V -ire" ; I v«t|. tliai school enmnii'tees b" abolished.'' It might ■atrpnse the reluming officer to find I that 110 vtes wr,. rt corded on the | fir-t two propositions