The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1880.

Temuka Leader, Issue 321, 25 November 1880, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1880.

Thk education question is assuming an aspect whicli cannot but cause tbe most ardent supporters of a free education considerable uneasiness, if not grave doubts, as' to the permanency, of the system now adopted by this colony. A few years ago the old ant? wholesome measuie in existence, which caused every parent to contribute towards th.- education of his child, was considered hy some of our too sanguine law-makers too slow a process and too cumbersome a piece of machinery for keeping pace wi. h ilie ‘times. Nothing but a free education in every sense of the word would satisf}’ such guahead gentry. The result has been that a revenue easily collected and lightly felt was cast aside, and the Government of the day, backed by a willing Parliament, resolved to not only educate every child in New Zealand free of charge, but also to build schools and schoolmasters’ houses all over the length and breadth of the land. That resolution has now been acted upon for a few years, but the more it is looked into the less it is liked, even by those who are directly benefited by it. Just now it is more upon its trial than it has ever been. It is, however, much to be feared that unless the old sj'stem is resorted to to some extent it will break down. We have a national education, yet not a national education. There is a 'discrepancy bo-* tween the payment of salaries to teachers for the tame work which should not be in a national system. In Otago, lor instance, teachers holding situations which in Canterbury entitle them to £l3O a year,'are-paid £l4O to £l5O a year for the same worn. In the North Island the Boards, or some of them, reduce the teachers salaries in order to procure funds to add to the school buil lings. Again, the Canterbury Boards reduced the teachers salaries 10 per cent in August last, while tiie Otago Boards only make the deductions as from December next. How can this be called a national system ] Again, the teaching staff is to be reduced, while the schools are increasing in the number of their .pupils. Here is an anomoly in a national education. The question is not nosv shall the Bible be read in schools, but shall we have' schools at all, iW® have to often given it as our opinion that Mr Rollestoo was a moat suitable person for Minister for'Education that we do not like to,say he has not confirmed that opinion, but we must say he seems most defective in the organ of invention. The old Athenians used to , spend their time in hearing or telling of some new thing. We regret to say they would have to spend a good deal of time before they would hear of any new thing coming from the Minister for Education. The whole fabric is like to crumble into dust, and yet he gives no evidence that lie is cogitating in his mind as to what is beat be done in the matter. The first section of the struct me that is approached by the Boards is that of the teaching staff. Not only must their salaries be decreased, but their work must be largely increased. It need hardly be stated that such a pro- ■ cedure will only tend to hasten the fall of the whole structure. Some time agp we remarked upon the necessity of having tiie teaching staff selected from the most healthy and robust; to this let us add and the most highly educated that can be got if our national education is to be worthy of its life being prolonged. Now, will the present proceedings of the Boards tend to this.] We believe not. ‘Starve our teachers, and we will very soon have a vefy J sbrry -lot tot deal with. Men with fpyen^moderate''acquirements will not con nu'ue “iff 4 tlicr■’service,,but will eeok,situa. / ♦ ions elsewhere in other spheres of life,, as with the sickly the work is osly half, done, and that half with little or no heart; so will it be with the tigichers. Doubtless the hard times in which we at present live has something to do with this state of things, but in our opinion not very much. True, the Government found it necessary to reduce the vote for education, which thus left the Boards the option of adopting one of two courses left open to them. First, and which would be

moat- congenial 'to their owi/ feelings,- j’ redpee the sums handed to the committees for teachers salaries-'; or second* do auyay wjth lhe Boards. The latter we conld fiot expect they : would adopt, nevertheless it is a sacrifice tliat niust be made if there is to be a healthy national system. Local self-government used to be a popular topic for discussion. So far as the local School Committees are local government is a misnomer. No power Js allowed by the Boards. The Committees meel from month to month to do what] To talk over the gossip of the town or district, or to deliberate whether or not the Board will allow ra fp>v posts or rails to mend a fence. No control is given over a single £ of expenditure but within the limits of (he little pittance allowed for incidentals. If they do give an extra allowance of coals to warm up the children on a frosty morning they run the risk of having to pay for it themselves. This brings us bacK to 'he good old times when the Boards allowed the committee to draw out plans for new buildings, to call for tenders, and which tenders had only to be submitted to the Board, who, judging that local men were the best judges of 'these matters, generally accepted them without comment. Teachers were selected by the Committees, aiml the one approved ofsubmitteo to the. Board, who almost in every case sanctioned their appointment. Complaints —if any were made by the teachers to the Committees —were laid with the evidence- before the Board, who dealt fairly between employer and employee. Now the case is totally altered the Boards do everything and the Committees nothing. We say then without fear of contradiction, that the Boards are the stumbling b'oiks that are in the way of the success of the scheme to a very great extent. The} 7 have become so accustomed to sit in gorgeously fitted up rooms at the country’s expense, that they cannot think of giving up the luxury. What good are they doing? Wbal good is the South Canterbury Board doing ? What good 'has it done ] These are questions we put to ourselves, and the answer is that it ba» built schools all over the plains and hills, like large sentry boxes, for ambitious youths, with quadrants in baud, to take the sun’s bearings, or to open the windows and indulge in the balmy breezes that sweep so enehaiitingly along in these fine days. Pupils virtually they have none, but the district iiad a friend on the Board, and he must do something for it. What belter than a nice building or two in a district; it gives it a name. In this wa}' the public money is being squandered anti the teachers starved, and the schools sent back for a quarter of a century, or go to Jericho altogether, fpr all some of them mny care, so long as they can meet and be dubbed members of a Board of Education. For the life of us wa cannot see any difficulty in doing without Boards altogether. What is to hinder the Committees from cor responding with Wellington direct. Look at our Hoad Boards, our. Chambers of Commerce in large cities, our .Municipal Councils, and the host of other local bodies who take tlu ir orders in all important matters, direct. We say then do away with the Board ; give the local Committees more power to lead them to take some interest in the work, and not only would more thousands of pounds be saved than is needed to keep up the status of qur touching staff, but less discontent would exist, and unseemly wrangTng between Boards and C mmiittees, so common in South Canterbury, would be at an end for ever. Yet another reason may be given for the decline of our National Education. It has become fashionable to have what is termed High Schools in every important centre. Now let us ask how are these schools built and kept up. Simply by endowments of laud. The reserves which should only have been used for a support to elementary education, has been taken to support schools Tor a highereducation ; to educate whom ? Gentlemen’s sons for the most part; gentlemen who not only are able, but willing to pity for their;sons’ aducatioa, But a few officious individuals must get up aird propose a High School, and some other gentleman* who may be ambitious of the hocor of being Chairman or a Director, immediately says amen to it, and the project is set on foot. The great mass of the people being busy at their daily toil, have neither time nor inclination to grapple with such a subject, and let the case go by default. So the thing is done, and the would be Cii airman claims having worked bard for his constituents, and the real interest of-many are sacrificed for the benefit of the few. These are a few of the evils that we have seen under the sun ; others by and by.