Mr. SILVESTER HORNEasked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention had been called to the use made of certain public elementary schools for canvassing purposes during the recent General Election; and whether 1134 the Board of Education could take steps to secure that no school supported out of the rates and taxes should be used during school hours for party purposes?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANMy attention has been called to certain cases in which teachers in public elementary schools are alleged to have attempted to influence the minds of the children under their charge in favour of a particular political party or candidate. I think it would be extremely difficult to frame rules which would effectually remove all possibility of such practices, and I am satisfied by experience that the Local Education Authorities may be trusted to suppress such practices when their attention is directed to them. I should prefer, however, to believe that the good sense and right feeling of the teachers would lead them, as a rule, to avoid any such abuse of their position.
Mr. SILVESTER HORNEMay I ask if the question is one for the teachers when people came in from the outside; and there is real power to stop this invasion of the schools during school hours?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI should like to have a specific case put to me before I commit myself to a definite answer on the subject. But I think the invasion of the schools by outsiders for political purposes is to be deprecated by the local governing authorities, and by all others concerned.