Page 9 - J Delaney - City of Cessnock Education and Schools

4.

E DUC AT I 0 N

recorrunended a secondary school for all who could afford it; with
bursaries for the needy and destitute, who were talented. He also
recorrunended the creation of a university in the future.

As a result of Scott's report, and with the creation in 1825
of the Church and Schools Corporation, the Government of N.S.W. conferred
a monopoly for primary education on the Church of England - a situation
very much disliked and fiercely challenged by the .Presbyterians and
Methodists and Catholics. The Presbyterian Leader, Rev. J. Dunmore
Lang and the Catholic Leader, Father J.J. Therry became unwilling
partners in their opposition. Their hostility, plus pr.essures and debates,
caused Governor Bourke in 1831 to offer a proposal of a 'corrunon school'
system along the lines of the Irish National System. This system
indicated that the~e three divisions of Christianity, Anglicans,
Catholics and Presbyterians should all receive financial assistance.
However Bishop William Grant Broughton, the then Archdeacon, using
such pompous inflated speeches, forced public opinion to pressure
Governor Bourke to withdraw his proposal.

In the late 1830's, Governor Gipps came to the same conclusion
as Governor Bourke in regard to the unneccessary duplication of schools
under a 'Denominational' system. Again Anglican hostility led Governor
Gipps not to proceed with his similar proposal.

In 1844, a Select Corrunittee of the Legislative Council investigated
the state ,of 'EDUCATION' in the colony. This Corrunittee found that there
were 25,616 children between the ages of 4 and 14, of whom 7,642 received
instruction in the State-aided Denominational schools, and 4,865 in
private schools; leaving about 13,000 children (more than half) receiving
no education at all. The Committee recommended the Irish National System.
In January 1848, Governor Fitzroy appointed a Board . of National Education
to undertake the task of creating the necessary Government Schools;
simultaneously, Governor Fitzroy appointed a Denominational School Board
to handle Government subsidies to the Church schools.