1106 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION J. 
are properly qualified for their work. (I.) Suppose an Educational 
Council were appointed for any particular colony, such Council 
consisting mainly of educational experts, one half of its members 
nominated by the Governor-in-Council, and the rest in some way 
representative of the University and the body of secondary 
teachers. This Council would not interfere with any school that 
preferred to remain a law unto itself, except, perhaps, to ensure 
compliance with sanitary regulations, but would have some 
measure of jurisdiction over all schools that desired official recog- 
nition, and the advantages which that would bring. Such schools 
would have to satisfy the Council of their efficiency, by submitting 
to such inspection as the Council might prescribe or approve. 
The official publication of a list of such approved schools would be 
an immense advantage which would make recognition eagerly 
sought by many struggling schools. If, further, each school thus 
stamped with approval were given the right to receive the holders 
of State scholarships (at the State expense, of course), a definite, 
though limited, financial advantage would.be added. (II.) The 
other important function of the Educational Council would be to 
create a register of qualified teachers, the qualifications to be 
determined by the Council. In order to make this register of 
practical value in raising the standard of secondary education, 
the Council might decree that, after a certain reasonable period 
of time, any school already “ recognised,” or desiring ‘‘ recognition,” 
must be staffed either entirely or in a certain proportion with 
registered teachers. On these main lines a scheme might be 
worked out which would revolutionise secondary education. Of 
course, there are many engineering difficulties ; but these can be 
surmounted in detail after the route has been definitely mapped 
out. How, then, would these suggested methods work in practice ? 
It seems reasonable to believe that the official recognition of 
efficient schools by a competent and impartial authority would be 
welcomed by the general public, that support would be more and 
more accorded to these schools and withdrawn from the inefficient 
and unworthy, that the improvement in the financial position of 
efficient schools would be suflicient to ensure adequate remunera- 
tion for all qualified assistants, and that the standard of education 
would gradually rise as teachers became more generally qualified 
for their profession. 
No. 12—-THE STATE AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. 
By ‘W..L.:Arkins, (B.A. 
(Read Tuesday, January 11, 1898.) 
