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The
on the Board because there are Board members (in particular, those who
are heads of schools) who can reflect their interests, albeit in an
indirect way; there are practical difficulties in choosing appropriate
representatives without alienating one group or another; and the overall
size of the Board has to be kept reasonably small to be effective.
Board's contribution is not limited to reflecting responsible public
opinion: there are individual members who are specialists in their own
right and the government draws on the wealth of their experience and
expert knowledge. In general the Board's advice is sought on all major
issues involving either the formulation of new policy or the modification
of existing policy the implementation of which would have wide
ramifications. The Board is consulted as far as possible on all such
matters. Sometimes, however, decisions have to be made quickly to meet
certain exigencies or are made over and above purely educational
considerations: in such instances it might not be possible or appropriate
to consult the Board before the event.
4.20
The Board, as might be expected, has differed with this view
in the belief that it should have a wider role, and has asked the specific
question - on what matters is the Board expected to give advice?
which the government has responded in the following terms:
to
"It has already been pointed out that it is very
difficult to give a precise definition of the Board's
role without placing undue limitations on the Board's
functions (and it would be neither proper nor advisable
to dictate arbitrary restrictions of the Board's
activities). The attempt made in the following paragraphs
to give a clearer indication of what the Board should
do or not do is therefore solely intended to be helpful.
It represents what the government thinks is the compass
within which the Board should operate and where the Board's
contributions would be the most valuable.
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