§ Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee read.
§ Moved, "That the House do now resolve itself into Committee upon the said Bill."—(The Lord Privy Seal.)
THE EARL OF GALLOWAYsaid, he wished to present a Petition from school teachers in Scotland in favour of an Amendment he had on the Paper to the Bill proposed by the Government. The present Bill was really the result of a Motion made by Sir Herbert Maxwell in the other House, and the effect of his Amendment was, that teachers should not only receive notice of the intention of a school board to pass a resolution for dismissal, but the ground upon which such notice was issued. The prayer of the Petition was entirely in unison with the spirit of the Bill, and he hoped the noble Lord the Lord Privy Seal would be able to accede to it. By adopting the suggestion in that Petition, the grievances of the teachers would be remedied.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ House in Committee accordingly.
§ Clauses 1 and 2 agreed to.
§ Clause 3 (Three weeks' notice to be given to members of school boards and teacher of motion for dismissal).
§ THE EARL OF GALLOWAY moved, as an Amendment, words providing that the circular convening a school board meeting to consider the question of a teacher's dismissal must state the reason for such dismissal. When a teacher received warning, it was, he contended, only fair that he should be informed of the reason. This Amendment really was to give effect to the prayer of the Peti- 376 tion that he had already presented to their Lordships.
§ Amendment moved,
§ In page 1, line 22, after the word ("meeting"), to insert the words ("and unless in such circular and in such notice the reason or reasons be specially stated by the member or members proposing it."—(The Earl of Galloway.)
§ LORD CARLINGFORD (LORD PRIVY SEAL)said, it was quite impossible for him to accept the Amendment. At the present time the school boards of Scotland possessed a power of dismissal which was very considerably limited by the Bill. It was limited in a way which was satisfactory to almost everyone who took any interest in school administration. It was provided that ample notice should be given to a teacher before the question of his dismissal was considered, and also that it should only be considered at a full meeting of the board. His noble Friend (the Earl of Galloway) wished the notice to contain a statement of the proposed ground of dismissal. That, he (Lord Carlingford) thought, would be a most unfortunate alteration in the Bill, and certainly one which would not be in the interest of the teachers themselves. It was not in the interest of the teachers that the cause of dismissal should be published to the world, and remain for ever on record. The noble Earl was mistaken if he imagined he was acting in conformity with the wishes even of the school teachers. He (Lord Carlingford) had had communication with many teachers, who earnestly desired him to have the Bill carried as it stood, and not to accept the Amendment now proposed. Among others, he had himself received a voluntary communication from a very important body in Scotland—the Educational Union—in which they earnestly pressed him to the same effect. He hoped, therefore, the noble Earl would not press his Amendment, which he could not accept.
THE EARL OF GALLOWAYsaid, that after what had been said by the noble Lord he would not persevere with the Amendment.
§ Amendment (by leave of the Committee) withdrawn.
§ Clause agreed to.
§ Remaining clause agreed to.
§ House resumed.
§ Bill reported without amendment; and to be read 3a To-morrow.