EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 November 1920, Page 5

EDUCATION.

FIRST STEP IN REFORM. THE MINISTER'S NEW BILL By Telegrapli.—Press Assn.—CopyrisM. Wellington, Last Night. The Education Amendment Bill was before the House of Representatives tonight. The Minister (tlie Ron. 0. J. Parr), in moving the second reading, said it was not a pretentious Bill, but lie hoped it would produce improvements in educational methods and administration, and mark the beginning of a forward policy. He hoped to sec more done in the matter of raising the school age and providing for compulsory continuation instruction. He regretted that a large proportion of children left the primary schools without reaching the sixth standard or its equivalent, and he hoped the propoisals in the Bill would enable these to be caught before it was too late.

The Minister explained what had been done regarding teachers' grading. fScvent.y-five per cent, of the teachers wanted the grading, as was shown by the rece'nt poll, when out of 3*Boo teachers 2971 voted, the result being 2-200 for the Bill and 771 against. Mr. Parr said the measure proposed the abolition of tjie right of a scholarship or bursary holder to use it in a private or a denominational school, and also to abolish the State Hubsidy to "such schooln for the tuition of scholarship holders. They must do nothing that might weaken the national school system. The Bill proposed to classify secondary school teachers.

Mr. A. S. Malcolm (Clutlia) said that, unfortunately, the Bill still failed to remedy the system of the payment of teachers on the average attendance at school, which he considered antiquated and unfair. He doubjed the wisdom of extending the age of compulsory attendance at school up to fifteen yean!. He further condemned the practice of giving home lessons to children attending primary schools, to which practice he attributed many of the nervous breakdowns Among young people. Mr. R. Masters (Stratford) said that to say he was disappointed with the Bill was to express himself mildly, after the statements which the Minister had made from time to time in various places. The Bill was composed mainly of machinery clauses, and the opinions of the school committees' associations and Education Boards had been disregarded, and when their representatives came before the committee to give evidence tlicy were told they must be slick about it, as there were only seven minutes in which they could place the deliberations of the recent conference before the committee. Mr. S. G. Smith (Taranaki) complained that the effect of the Bill would be to further whittle away the powers of Education Boards and school committees.

Mr. IT. E. Holland (Btiller) moved an amendment that the Bill be referred back to the Education Committee in order that it might consider the question of deleting the present scholarship clauses and substituting proposals whereby all scholarships would lie abolished, and education in national institutions would be wholly free, and under which there would be 110 bar to a child's progress, other tKan his own inability to pass examinations.

The amendment was seconded by Mr. P. N. Bartram (Grey Lynn). When tlie telegraph office clofied at 2 a.m. the delmte wag proceeding. PROTEST BY CATHOLICS. SCHOOLS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS. Wellington, Last Night, At a meeting of the Dominion Executive of the New Zealand Catholic Federation, the following resolution was carried unanimously (copies were ordered to be sent to the Prime Minister, the Minister for Education, and the Leaders of the Opposition and LftboT Party): "That the New Zealand Catholic Federation strongly protests against the clause in the Education Amendment Act, now before Parliament, abolishing the right of pupils holding scholarships at other than State secondary schools. The scholarships are for the benefit of the pupils, and not for thai* of any particular educational system. Grave injustice will be inflicted 011 Catholic students if they are not allowed in future \o hold their scholarships at approved secondary schools of 'their own choosing."

OPPOSED BY AUCKLAND BOAR;). Auckland, Last Night. The Education Amendment Bill w.is somewhat severely criticised l.y the Auck.'and Education Board, to-day, when a resolution was passed expressing appreciation of the MinisU-'s action in forwarding copies of the Bill; expressing disappointment that a comprehensive Bill embodying the principles for which the Board stood had not been introduced; protesting against legislation by regulation in such important matters as teachers' salaries; and suggesting an alteration from three to two in the names to be decided on in the event of a conflict of opinion between the Board and the inspector.