Boards of Advice

Full description

Establishment/composition

Provision for the establishment of Boards of Advice was made in Sections 15 and 16 of the Education Act 1872. Under this provision the Governor in Council could constitute and define school districts containing one or more schools with a Board of Advice elected for the District.

Each Board consisted of between five and seven persons elected by the ratepayers residing within the district. The Governor in Council could appoint a Board if one was not elected. Board members held office for fixed periods, however, the Governor in Council had power to remove any member.

Function

The duties of Boards of Advice were defined in the 1873 Act as: -

(I.) To direct with the approval of the Minister what use shall be made of school buildings after the children are dismissed from school or on days when no school is held therein; to suspend any school teacher for misconduct and report the cause of such suspension to the Minister:

(II.) To report on the condition of the schools, as to the premises and their condition, whether new schools are required, and as to books, furniture, gymnastic appliances, or other requirements;

(III.) To visit the schools from time to time, and to record the number of children present, and their opinion as to the general condition and management of the schools:

(IV.) To use every endeavour to induce parents to send their children regularly to school, to compare the attendance of children at school with the roll for the school district, and to report the names of parents who fail or refuse to educate their children or send them to school:

(V.) To recommend the payment by the Education Department of school fees or the grant of a scholarship or exhibition in the case of any child displaying unusual ability. '

Abolition

All Boards of Advice were abolished under Section 12 of the Education Act 1910. The role performed by these Boards was effectively assumed by a new body known as the School Committee which under Section 14 of the Act was to be established within every school.

Location of records

Although Section 13 of the 1910 Act specified that all books, papers and documents in the possession or under the control of any Board were to be handed to the Crown, the Public Record Office holds very few records of the various Boards. Those in custody are listed below and in Section 3.8.5 of the 1985 List of Holdings.