The Education System in New South Wales.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 413, 6 February 1890, Page 3

The Education System in New South Wales.

(kbom oub own oobbbsfondxnt.)

Sydney, Jan. 2. An interesting point in cor.necdon with the working of our Public School System has just been raised. Mr Carruthers, the Minister for Public Instruction, proposes to establish a large number of exhibitions. Of these, ten are to be bursaries for the University, and the remainder, a much- larger number, are to he tenable at the Public High Schools only. The conductors of private schools naturally regard this proposition with alarm, as tending to add considerably to the attractiveness of the Public High Schools. A deputation of them waited on tbs Minister the other day to lay their view of the case before him. They met, how. ever, with very little encouragement. They told the great man at the head o' the Department that they considered his proposal • vicious ’in principle. This candour may have served some useful purpose in the way of delivering their own souls. But it certainly was not calculated to obtain any concessions. Their justification for applying this strong term was that the proposed scholarships and bursaries would interfere with the natural development of educational enterprise. There is a great deal of justice in this contention. Although a thorough system of State Education appears indispensable in every democratic community, it by no means follows that it should aim at the destruction of all other schools. There seems to be a great tendency on the part of those who are charged with their administration to lose aighc of their public character. They think it necessary to be actuated by the pettifogging, grudging spirit which prompts wealthy and powerful firms to crush struggling competitors. The more powerful and wealthy the firm with which they are connected the more bitterly do persons of this class resent any entrance by others on what they are pleased to consider as their own peculiar domain. This is necessarily tolerated in commerce, though it is not at ail impossible that a check may be found necessary, But in a public department such a spirit is practically a denial of public spirit, It turns the power and prestige of a portion of the public service against a section of the public from which it derives its existence, The raison d’etre of ths public schools or the public railways is to supply the deficiencies of existing machinery for imparting instruction or for facilitating transit, When either of them abuses its power tor the purpose nt increasing those deficiencies it steps out of its place and Shows itself, to be animated by that spirit of monopoly which is ths most deadly foe of social prosperity and of democratic institutions. Mr Carruthers told the deputation that Parliament had intended the Htgh Schools to compete with private schools. I believe he has mistaken ths intentions of Parliament. But if he has not, then Parliament has most egregiously mistaken the the true scope and function of State action, Net to contend with existing agencies for instruction, but io supplement them is obviously the true end to bs aimed at. It this cannot be kept in mind by those who control the vast machinery of the State, what hope is there that it cun ever become a potent factor tn private enterprise. There are great excuses to ba made for deviations from it in the latter case, but none at all, that. I can see, in the former,