HAWERA EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 July 1917, Page 6

HAWERA EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.

WKffl BCEOOQ WBBSTABLESHMENT. 30S3STEBUL ATTITUDE BESEXTED The Icttoirof the Minister for Education in refosinj the Teqnest made by the Education Board in the interests of education in Hawera that the Hawera District High School should be dis established and a technical high school estabhshed in HatwcTa, came in for Borne

strong comment at the meeting of the Taranaki Education Board yesterday. The chairman, Messrs. H. Trimble, and E. Dixon, reported as follows: As requested by the Board, we waited on the Hon. J. A. Hanan. Minister for Education, on Tuesday*last to bring under b» notice several matters of interest in educational matters affecting #i» district The principal matter was that of disestablishing the Hawera Dis*Tict High School and establishing in lieu fimreof a technical high school. The wishes of the people of Hawera and the Board were fully explained to the Minister and we regret to have to report that thff reply was not favorable to oar request. The Minister stated that at present no •ould not see his way clear to accede to the representations made by the deputation. Several minor matters Were brought before his notice and almost in every instance eatisfactory replies were received. Mr. Dixon, in moving the adoption of the report, said that he was greatly disappointed that the Minister and the Department should have treated a progressive move, made by the Board in the interests of education, in the way in which it had been treated. The Minister had advocate, from the Xorth Cape to the Bluff, tli:.' ore Je paid to vo,- i! training than to tha examinatio ■ irse, yet when the Board put for*. .'.ds view in Wellington, he turned i. -J*n. To show that such a school would be successful in Hawera, one had only to view the success already achieved by the day technical classes there, the pupils numbering over €5. If the Minister insisted on hi* present attitude then strong measures,should be brought to bear on tie Department It was, he said, a long story. During the past six years the people of Haweraihad given their time in the interests of education, and their ideas had teen on ail fours with the Minister's own suggestion, yet for some reason he could not see his way clear to grant the request A strong course should be adopted, because if the Technical school was closed down as suggested, Ithe twenty-nine children w*o were attending the District High School wookf be catered for, while the sixtyfive at the technical school could go here and there or anywhere. The pori- ■ tion was lamentable. Mr. & A. Wilkinson, M.P., in seconding, also expressed regret at the Minister's attitude. He did not know what other steps the Board could take. The, Minister suggested that they might put . the case before the Council of Education, bat no doubt the Minister of Edacstian would be the medium through which it would have to pass, and as he was hostile to the proposal he would not advocate it, so there seemed little chance in that direction. He did not 'know what stronger measures could be taken. It <was possible to appeal to the Premier, when something'might be done, tat the Board, of course, would not like to appeal over the head of its own Department. He thought, therefore, that further action rested with the people of Hawera and if they moved the Board would assist. The chairman also expressed his disappointment at the result of the deputation's visit Their views were so closely in touch with those for which the Minister had led them to believe he was working that he (the speaker) was surprised the Minister refused to pot those views into operation, despite the fact that the Department had asked the Wanganui Board to prove that Hawera wanted technical education and that the ■ Taranaki Board had proved this by the fact that there were 65 attending the technical school at Hawera, which therc- «?*» started on a better footing than Hmr "Jrvmouth, which opened with 40. '■■s *ow th« <ln*" of the Hawera pcorf«"l£ y,ffc concerted action either by ■ L,lie rneetmsr*.'-' T^lf^r" ■ irt to Parliament, preferably the latter, to attain their just demands. The motiai adopting the report was 'tarried. • ■-