EDUCATION AT ELTHAM.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 March 1921, Page 2

EDUCATION AT ELTHAM.

(To the Editor.) Sir. —In reply to statements made by the Education Board members at New Plymouth yesterday, when discussing the proposed High School for Eltham, I have to state that there is some Justification for the statement that the Board exhibited very little sympathy towards the proposal. Whether this was intended, is quite another question, but we had to Judge on the telephone messages and wires received. The facts are these:—Upon making application to the Board for the reestablishment of the Eltham High School, the Board were informed that the required number, viz 20 pupils, was available. I was then informed by the Secretary per telephone, that the Chairman and himself had considered the application, and would advise the Eltham Committee to establish the guarantee by asking the parents to allotf 1 their children to attend for a given time for this purpose. This procedure was adopted by the Eltham Committee, and the certified attendance was sent to the Board for consideration at. their last meeting, and the decision arrived at was reported in the Daily News, to the effect that the parents of the twenty pupils, be asked to sign a guarantee that their children would attend for at least two years. I immediately wired the Board, asking if this guarantee was obtained, would the Board appoint a competent teacher and establish school provisionally in the meantime. A reply was received, stating that the Board had decided that the Department’s sanction would have to be obtained. At the same time, the Board knew perfectly well that the definite sanction to permanent establishment, could not be obtained until the Council of Education, which meets in June, had given its approval. By this time, all our pupils would have gone to other schools; and it was quite an impossibility to comply with the Board’s demands. Consequently we have advised the pupils to attendxotl'er High Schools, considering an impossible position has been created. I might further state that we have not even yet received an official acknowledgement of our application, or the Board's decision on the matter. In the face of the above facts, is it any wonder that a wrong impression has been received here —I am, etc., J. BRIDGER. Eltham, March 10, 1921.