Letter to Oamaru Schools Committee.

The following letter, which has been addressed by the Rev. Dr Macgregor to Mr G. Sumpter, Chairman of the Oamaru Schools Committee, has been handed to us (Oamaru Mail) for publication:—

Columba Manse, Oamaru, April 23, 1885.

My Dear Sir,—While congratulating your Committee on the so far successful defence of their High School, I take the liberty of calling their attention to some things fitted to weaken or undermine it, which at the same time reflect upon the sincerity and truthfulness of the Schools Committee, as well as of the series of unanimous public meetings of citizens, in representations laid by them through memorials and deputations before the Education Board.

1.	A member of Board, at its meeting last week, said that the maintenance of the High School is not seriously desired by the people of Oamaru. This would imply that the mind of the people of Oamaru has been persistently misrepresented, both by their accredited representative the Schools Committee, and by themselves in unanimous public meetings of citizens. And it might be well to inquire how—from what occult source—the speaker has come to know the mind of the the people, thus misrepresented by your Committee and by themselves.
2.	On the same occasion the same speaker maintained that the High School is not really needed here for its purpose of secondary instruction, on the ground that this is given in our common schools—the North School is the one he specified. The secondary instruction for which a High School is intended to provide has to be given within the school hours, by teachers of approved qualification for instructing in secondary subjects, devoting to thin work so much of their time and strength within those hours, which of course is withdrawn for that purpose from the work of primary education in the school. A man who does not know the subjects cannot teach them as a horse cannot [unclear: fl]. A common school teacher cannot in school hours even lawfully attempt to give secondary instruction, consistently with his obligation to give his whole time and strength in the school hours to the work of primary education. I therefore assume that it is not attempted in our Oamaru common schools. But, in view of what has been publicly alleged at the Board meeting by a member of Board, I submit that your Committee ought to make it unmistakeably clear to the public that no such attempt shall be permitted under their administration of public educational trust.
3.	In support of that allegation an appeal was made to a fact, to which the Committee's attention was directed many months ago by the statutory meeting of householders, viz., that in our Oamaru schools there are pupils beyond the standards or the age permitted by law. Where there is no High School accessible to such pupils, a common school teacher may be allowed, though necessarily at the cost of some loss to the statutory education from distraction of his time and strength, to indulge a natural unwillingness to lose pupils, and perhaps a natural willingness to gain money, by retaining them beyond the statutory limit. But where there is a High School, the practice is not only technically unlawful, and materially unfair to the High School and its teachers. It is doubly injurious to the people's vital interest in the true education of their children. On the one hand, while the primary instruction is lowered in efficiency, they are tempted, by the offer of a gratuitous substitute for the High School instruction, to occupy their children's precious season of young life with whatever sort of substitute a common school teacher, under no check of qualified inspection foreseen, may happen to be disposed and qualified to give, in fragments of time and strength wholly due to other work. On the other hand, the practice counteracts the endeavor of the Schools Committee, the citizens' public meetings, the Minister of Education, and the Education Board, to give the statutory secondary instruction, made sure within the school hours, through teachers known and attested as qualified to give it, and bound to devote to this work a due part of their time and strength in school hours, subject to systematic inspection on the Board's behalf. To secure this great advantage for the people, on terms placing it within easy reach of all classes and both page 5 sexes, was from the beginning the avowed intention of the so far successful campaign for continued maintenance of the High School. That practice goes directly to frustrate this intention, by weakening and undermining what in the public interest ought to be loyally supported and strengthened. And it is fitted for the purpose to which it has been made subservient, as ground of contending for suppression of the High School;—a suppression which for Oamaru district would be simply a dead loss, for the common school education of the people is otherwise made fast and sure to them by law. The obvious inference is, let the practice be strictly prohibited.

P.S.—I give this letter for publication to local papers. J.M.

Major Sumpter,

Chairman of Oamaru Schools Committee.