NELSON EDUCATION BOARD.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1398, 9 May 1884, Page 2

NELSON EDUCATION BOARD.

,- ♦- : ■ The usual monthly meeting of this Board was held yesterday, when there were present : — Messrs Barnicoat, (in the chair), Clayden, Andrew, Dencker, Shephard, and the Bishop of Nelson. The Board of Examiners reported as follows: — Six applications for the niistresshrp of Brightwater school were considered eligible : Mrs Tosswill, Misses Sarah Leech, E. Buckeridge, Aftd Kate Williams. The examiners regretted that they were precluded from recommending so good a teacher as Miss Coveney, owing to the technical objection that she does not hold a certificate from the Education Department. The Bishop objected to the word "technical ". in the report. He said that the Act provided that the want of a certificate was an obstacle, and, therefore, it was uo>* tei&!»M otgection. It was agreed to iubstitnte the word "legal." /Mr Dencttff urged that Alias Ooveney's name should be placed on .^ie'list. Mr. Clayden thought they would lay themselves open to an action by other teachers who might be rejected, if they appointed an inwrtiGcated teacher. It would form a pnjceiknt. j Mr Shephard said ' they did not i always adhere to the rule, and he ; thought the appointment of Miss j Coveney would be conducive to the ; interest of education. Mr Dencker moved that the nan;<i > of this applicant be added to iho list. : The Chairman said he should be sorry to see the motion carried. If they had erred in the past there was no reason why they should continue to do so, and lie thought the appointing af uhcertificated teachers was injurious to the service. . 'Mr Clayden would give in if it could beheld lf-aal, t>utiu this opinion it would be a flagrant breach of the Act. The bishop said he was aware of Miss Coveney's qualifications, and he was sure she would be a valuable teacher, but it was not open to the Board to appoint her. The Eev J. C. Andrew would be f^lart ' if they could add her name, but t.Vy were bound by the law. , The Report was theu adopted. j Letters and telegrams from the j Eeefton Committee were then read, and in these the Committee expressed its determination to close their school on May 2nd,* unless the Board reversed the appointment of Mr Burn- i Lam. . | Several member* «aid in 1 e'fiect tha t they opttlti neve^r consent to the Board beiug thaa deprived of its authority. | Mr Shepherd mentioned a similar case at Charleston, where the Committee opposed the appointment of the Board and closed the school. The Board then sent down Mr Blumer, and were prepared to use force, but Mr Blumer, (who afterwards proved j a most popular teacher) was accepted, and he believed the same result would happen at Eeefton. On the motion of the Eev J.C ; Andrew, is was then unanimously j resolved. " That the Board regret : £hat the appointment made is not acceptable to the majority of the Committee, but the appointment being in accordance with the provisions of the Act, they see no reawn to justify cancelling it." Plans for a junior lehoo! a 4 Becftoa were approved. The considerate of the temporary lease of a building used as a school at Reefton was adjourned for s. month. A letter was read from the Little Grey Committee, but it was decided to adhere to the site recommend by the Inspector.