OTAGO EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 11

OTAGO EDUCATION BOARD.

THE ANNUAL REPORT.

The annual report of Mr P. G. Prvde, secretary of the Ota-go Education Board, is to hand. With it are issued the reports of the board's inspectors, the general statement of income and expenditure, and a good deal of other in-formation.

The annual report of the Otago Education Board states that at the close of 1904 there were 221 schools in operation, in the district. New schools were opened during 1905 at MueseJburgh, Inch Valley, and Tawanui. The schools at Purakouiti and Bendigo were reopened, and the schools at the Beaumont Station, Deep Stream, Hukinga, L^ee Stream. Mouterc, and Tarraa closed. The total number in operation at the end of the year was 220. The classification of the schools, according to their average attendance, is as follows:—Grade 0 (1 to 15), 34 schools; grade 1 (16 to 20). 23; grade 2 (21 to 25), 30; grado 3 (26 to 32), ZK; grade X (33 to 40), 18; grade 5 (41 to 50). 13; grade 6 (51 to 60), 16; grade 7 (61 to 75), 11; grade 8 (76 to 90), 8; grade 9 (91 to 120), 9; grade 10 (121 to 150), 6; grade 11 (151 to 200). 4; grade 12 (201 to 250), 3; grade 13 (251 to 280), 3; grade 14 (281 to 330), 4; grade 15 (331 to 390). 1; grade 16 (391 to 420), 4; -Trade 17 {421 to 480), 1; grade 18 (481 to 510), 1; grade 19 '511 to 570). 4; grade 20 (571 to 600). 1; grade 21 (601 to 660), 1: grade 22 (661 to 690), 1. There were 556 teachers in the board's service on December 31, of which 207 were males and 349 fema-les. There were 96 m?k head teachers, 35 male and 33 f.->ma> sol? teachers,' 96 mistresses, 68 ma” ? '1 85 female assistants, one ma].- voHcm-.i^ t«ao':r.r, 27 male and 57 female tea-rhers. and 23 female teachers of needlework. Tn December, 1905, there were 39 uncertificated teachers in the board's service— a decrease of 11 for the year. Of this number nine were males and 30 were females. Fourteen ■■vere employed as solo- teacher? in schools with an average attendance below 11. 11 in schools from 11 to 20, seven in schoois from 21 to 25, and s>even were mistresses in schools from 41 to 50. It will be rioted that of the 39 unoertificated teachers in The service at the end of last year, 14 were employed in schools the greater number of which would not now be carried on under the conditio r i> existing prior to the passing of "The Public School Teachers' Salaries Act, 1901." There are indications that, in a year or two. the supply of trained and certificated teachers will again equal the demand, but even when this takes place, it will probably be found that the majority of schools in grade O (average attendance under 11) will, owing to the smallness of the salaries earned by the attendance at these schools, be taught b\ imeortificafced or partially certificated teachers. Trained and fully certificated teachers will not be found willing to teach in schools in isolated districts for sa'aries the maximum of which is £60 per annum. On the whole, the number of trained and certificated teachers now available very nearly meets the demand, but there is a very serious lack of competent male teachers. Whatever may have been the cause, the number of suitable young men desiring of late yaars to enter the profession has been very small — only four male students haviner passed through the Dunedin Training College during the past two years. Lately there have been for male teachers quite a number of good appointments that have had to l.c filled by female teachers. It is satisfactory to note that there were in the board's service last year 27 male pupil teachers, an increase of 11 for the year. The number of female pupil teachers has decreased by eight.

The figures in the table of the abstract of attendance, with the figures for 1904 in parenthesis, are: — Number of schools, 220 (221); number of teachers. 556 (539); number of pupils who attended at all in the course of the year, 24,618 (24,509); average daily attendance for the year, 17,439 (17,397); attendance at "the close of the year, 19.206 (19,372). The table shows an increase of 109 in the number of pupils who attended the schools during the year. Tho number of pupils who attended the Dunedin schools shows a falling off of 32. The number of pupils in attendance at all the schools at the end of the year was 166 less than at the end of the previous year, the Dunedin schools accounting for 75' of this decrease. The figures relating ro averasre attendance show an increase of only 42 pupils for tht> vrar. The averago att°ndano»» at the Dunedin school* shows a decrease of 38 pupils as compared with the previous year's attendance. The average attendance expressed as a percentage of the weekly roll shows a further increase for the year. In 1904 this percentage was 90 for the Oamaru schools anci the 20 schools in Dunedin and suburbs, and 86.6 for the whole district. Last year the percentages ww:-Oaniani schooK 91 Dun-din and suburbs 90.9, whole district 89.7. If the mean weekly roll for ihc district be taken as 19,433, tho average percentage attained shows that 17.439 pupils attended school evevj school day. and that 2000 were absent. This is easily the highest pprcentae* of attendance recorded, and indicates a degree of resrularitv of attendar.ee of nupils that is highly satisfactory. The mean average of the ages of pupils is the same as last year— ll year? thre» months. Tho average age of pupils in each class are also the same except in Standards VII (15 years for 1906. as against 15 v^ars five "months in 1904). and Standard TIT (11 years. as comnared with 10 years 11 months in 1904). The inspectors group the schools according to efficiency as fol-lov.s-—Good to \ery good 45 per cent.; satisfactory. 42 per cent.; fair. 10 per cent.; weak or very weak. 3 per cent. The percentaees in tho second and fourth croups fire the samp as those of last rear; that of the third groun has dcreased by three and the group " Good fo very good" has increased by 3 per cent., a lesult the inspector-, regard as very satisfactory in the circumstances in which the schools had to work.

Dunne 1905 there wcro 92 school* in which instruction in handwork of <=omc kind or other was ffiven As this is just al>out the. number n! schools in th«» district that- are taught by more than one teacher it is evident that nearly all the schools that miprht fairly be expected to undertake thi= work aro devoting at loast some portion of time to it. In many of the school* that are taught by only one teacher gr<"a.t difficulty must naturally be exnprieneed in devoting- to manual and technical subjects the timp. neces«arv to qualify for capitation, or indeed to devote any time at all to them. There are in thp district about 128 of such schools. and this is about th*» number in which. «o far. no work of rhi« nature has been undertaken. In 1904 the number of fufikjs

receiving instruction in handwork was 6027, or 31 per cent. : during the last year the number rose to 10,010. or 52 per cent. Of the 92 schools in which the instruction was carried on, 67 de\oted to the subjects the time necessaij' to qualify for the ' Government capitation grant. In the previous year the number of such schools was 54. so that during the year just closed the list of capitation earning schools has in- ! creased by 13. and. not only so, but in most of these schools tho range of the instruc- | tion has been much extended. In many cases all the classes now narticipate in the instruction where formeily only the infants and Standards I and II did so. The board's aim is that in all schools abo\e grade 4 some subject of handwork or , science shall be taken by each standard

class. ! It is apparent that for many years to

| come agriculture must be the chief pur- ! suit of a very large number of the inhabi- '• tanfs of this colony, and it is gratifying that a marked extension in the instruction in the subject of elementary agriculture is noticeable throughout the district, there being at the end of last year 34 schools ( in various parts of the district in which 1 such instruction was being carried on, each ] school having connected with it a suit- ' ably equipped cottage garden where the

practical work is done. The inspectors j report that the instruction given is of a ■\ery practical and educative character. The board is of opinion that in considera1 tion of the very great importance of this subject, and the large number of schools now giving instruction in it the time has arrived when a specialist in agricultural -.tibjects should be appointed.

Truapi . and urcgular attendance are ■^iiLl la-ufaiit. During the \ear 9^4 notices •isene served on parei'ts and guardian- for infringements of "'The Education Act, 1904.'' section I*l. Thirty-four notices w<-re eer\ed on parents whose children were not attending any school. Thr'e hundred and forty-sev<.n cases of irregular attenders were investigated. One hundred and 'jxtv-iurie penalty summonses were is.\.ed \inder section 145. Under the abo\e 169 penalty summon-cs 164 con\ictions were obtained, three cases were withdrawn, and ! wo ca=e--were dismissed owing to tho production of exemption certificates. The total amount of fines inflicted for tho year was £35 3s 6d.

1 Of the 65 competitor: for junior scholarships who sat for the department's junior national scholarship examination 36 were . 6titcc r 9ful in passing the examination and i 25 of them received t-eholarships. Of the |30 competitois for tl<e board* senior j scholarship who c at for tho ci\il service i junior examination, 27 v. t re successful in ' passing the examination and 25 of them scholarships. Of tho?e who gained ' junior scholarships 14 of them were boys and 11 girls : and of the successful .-enior candidates 20 of them were boys and five j girls. Twelve of the senior scholarship j winners had previously held iunior scholar- • ships. The four national scholai ships for J the year were awarded t-i Thmi.<i> Fyfe (Kakanui), Wm. Robert (' :«> <( .r.'rsham), John C. Hendry (Mo- < 1). anJ Lyndon Bastings (Arthur street 'j he amount expended on soholar'hii.- for the \-ear was £1130 5s 6d.

The report deals with physical exerciser and the question of the conveyance of children to school.

From the report of the principal of the Training College it appears that 62 student* entered the col'ege at the beginning of the session : one retired during the year, leaving 61 on the roll at 31st December, 1905. Twenty-nine were in their second year and 32 were in their first year as follows: — First year, two males and 30 females; second year, two males and 27 females. Fifty-three of the students attended classes at the University. Eight students who had not passed matriculation Ware not required to undertake University work.

Dealing with the question of finance, the report 'tates that the sum expended in teachers' salaries, including house and lodging allowance, was £61,649 6? sd ; the amount paid to school committees for incidental expends was £5818 Is 7d -. the amount expended in the erection, enlargement, and improvement of school buildings and the purchase of sites wa»s £7965 16s 6d.

The receipts for school buildings include grant for maintenance £8407 6s ; special grants for "new buildings. £2970 10s; house allowance to teachers, £431 18s Id ; local contributions, £116 15s 4d ; deposits on contracts, £148 6s 6d : special grants for technical school buildings, and furniture, fittings, etc., for same, £895 19s;— total, £12,970 14s lid.

The main items of expenditure on buildings were : —General maintenance (repairs, alterations, end small additions), £4375 18s; rebuilding. £119 2s 7d : new buildinss, £3470 15s lid; house allowances. £432 2s sd : for manuai and technical purpose. £599 5s Id.

At the end of tho year the credit balance* were: — On buildings account, £312 15« sd; on general account, £6474 4<s ; — total, £6786 19s sd. Against this credit balance- of £6474 4s on general account (l>ere were various liabilities on account of primary reserve renti 1 . Technical Ola-*es Association. Training College but&aries. and general purposes amounting in total to £5123 11s 4d, leaving- the available credit balance £1350 12s Bd.