TE AWAMUTU.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1840, 22 April 1884, Page 3

TE AWAMUTU.

IHE KDICVNON ACT. MrGoldie, one of the mombeis of tho Auckland Boaid of Education, li.ii sent round circulars to the \ auous school committees, requesting them to get petitions — which he sent at tho same time— signed These petitions me adduced to Parliament, prajmg that the Education Act be not inteifeied with or alteied. As regards having education fiee, secular and compulsory, no one can object to keeping it so, but th'eie aie Mime alterations which could be made with advantage. For in stance, boards could be abolished. Wh> cannot education be managed like the police force by one central body, with mspectois in every district ? Tt would laigelv 1 educe the expenses. Eveiy bo.ud must have at least one clerk ; by abolishing these bodies the salaries of the secietanes would be saved, besides othei expenses, such as stationery, &c. Tlie doings of some of these bodies do not beat sciutiny \ei > r well and the sooner sonic other sj-tein of management is substituted tlio bettei it will be. It seems to me if a teachei v> lslies to btand well with the Boaid, he must sink a considerable amount of hisself-ie-spect. Mr Goldie's cncular not being an official one will not I fancy be taken ninth notice of by the committees, at any rite in their official capacity, and no one who reasons the mattei out can fail to <a>e that a change of some kind is absolutely necessary. The Premier in his speech admitted that our system of education is a most expensive one, in fact costs moie than any other depaitmenr. No wonder then that people desne to see a change. We are far an ad\anoe of our position in this mattei. The cmiiculum is too high. The high schools aie supposed (so T am told) to be scif-Minpoitnig ; the Cati'biidge school is not -o. and t,h''ie ai many otheis no bettei in this lc-pi-ct hi sti net the children in the thico it's, and if their parents want to true them a hic,hei education let them pay for it as oui pnenls had to do at homo. It is all \ei\ well to say educate the nch and poor alike: that would be vciy light and pioper, peihap*.. if we had the means to do it. but we have not, so plnlantlnopy niuit give way to expediency. As the inability of the coloni.il youths aie intended foi faimeis and ti ulesjnen, I fail to see the use of n classed education foi them. The tune spent in stud\ ing classics could be bettei employed in pei fectincr themsehes in some of the End^h branches <if education. It will not <i-^ist a farmer or mechanic much to ha\e a knowledge of the little episode that led to the siege of Tio5 r , orof the an louis of Jupiter In ahundied yeais time peihaps the colon-, may be able to go m foi an e^ pi nsi\ c s\ st"iv of education ; at pie-ent buiduiod as we are with taxation we cannot affoid it Jeniimai Ann is taught nirsic at school, and when she goes to semce stipukit»s with her misti ess for tlv inn of the diaw-lflg-room and the use of the piano If tin 1 Government would i educe the cost of education, and de\ote the inonev to the nitio duction ot a good class of sen ants, the^ would earn the thanks of the ladies at any rate, and a good m.ui> of the gentlemen too. — (Own Conespondent )