A Westland School Crisis

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 25, 22 June 1905, Page 18

A Westland School Crisis

Kumara has gone through the spasms of an educational crisis. But both Kumara and the crisis are now doing as well as can be expected. The circumstances of the passing agony are interesting in their way. We summarise them from detailed reports of a meeting o{ the Kumara School Committee and of the Westland Education Board. The story runnet/h thus : A vacancy (assistant teachership) recently arose in the Kumara school. There were two applicants for the position. Both were duly qualified . One of these, ' through no fault of her own,' as the Westland Education Board stated, ' had not been able to present the certificate to which she was entitled/ The application of the other teacher (Miss Gardiner) was therefore selected by the Board. She was duly notified of this, and was furthermore informed ' that tne vacancy required filling early.' She therefore, (says' the Board's secretary) ' sent in'her resignation at the beginning of May, so that she could transfer to Kumara on <the Ist of June.' Perhaps it was a mere coincidence that Miss Gardiner is a Catholic. At any rate, the Kumara School Committee wouia have nothing of her. tNo ground of objection was advanced— at least publicly— against the successful applicant. But the Kumara school authorities promptly notified the Board that they would resign in a body if the Board appointed Miss Gardiner 'in direct opposition to the wishes of the Committee.' The Board replied by pointing our their legal right, in the circumstances, to appoint, and the specially strong claims in equity which Miss Gardiner possessed. ' The result is,' sa.id they, * that, if the Board does not appoint her, she wil) be left without any position, with tjie additional disability of having been rejected in a way that will suggest, unjustly, a deficiency of qualification.' In the circumstances, the Board—^very properly, we believe—by seven votes to one, offered the appointment to Miss GaraMner, and, failing her acceptance of it, to the other applicant. The Kumara School Committee, on the motion oi its chtarirman (Rev. Mr. Smyth) thereupon resigned. Its resignation was accepted. One member of the Board (Mr. Grimmontl), ' had heard from the outside public that the objection to the young lady was because she was a member of the Roman Catholic religiom. He, as a member of the Board, strongly resented any such stand. He wished to know if there was any better reason for the resignation of the Committee.' None was given. It was, however, affirmed by one member of the Board (who was also a member of the Kumara School Committee) that ' the religion of the teacher ' was not the cause of the Committee's unexplained and mysterious action. The incident "closed with the following remarks by the Chairman of the Westland' Education Board .- ' The Committee had, by their relusal to make any explanation

as to their action in -Hie appointment, anil now by their .resignation, put the Board in a false position. He thought the resignation of the_ Committee might be termed a regrettable incident, which they might understattd as an incident that might have been avoided,'