THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

Auckland Star, Volume x, Issue 2781, 2 April 1879, Page 2

THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

(To the Kdilor.)

Sin,— For the information of. your readers and' of my clerical brethren who retinested mt to obtain tho information from Sydney, I send the accompanying letter from' Joseph Campbell, Ks»|., a gentleman who has paid a large amount of attention to these questi»ns. Ho fissures mo that thn course adopted by tho Sydney Government has so far Riitislicd the scruples' of till reasonable men that the controversy does not now attract much attention.

I am, sir, yours «fee, \\, MAUNSIiLL,

Xt Paul's Collet, Sydney, March 20, IS7O. Tho Yon. Archdeacon Maunsell:

Mr Hear Sir,—l have your letter of the 18tll inst., and am glad to bo ablu to supply you with tho information you require respecting religious instruction in the public schools of this colon}'-, tlio Rev. E. G. Horizon, M.A., Diocesan Inspector of Sellouts, having kindly furnished me with parlienlats : — I, The exact words of that part of the Act which refers to religious teaching ill public schools arc as follows : "Tn every public school, four hours during each school day, shall be devoted to secular instruction, exclusively; and of such four hours, two shall be in the morning, and two in the afLeruoou ; and a portion ot each day, not less than one hour, shall lie set apart when the children of any ono religious persuasion may be instructed by the clergyman or other religious teacher ol such persuasion, provided that in case of tin; non-attendance of any clergyman or religious teacher during any portion of tho period, hereby set apart for religious instruction, such period shall be devoted to thn ordinary secular instruction in such school."

Till now, however, this part of the act hiw been practically inoperative, mainly because <>f tbe existence of the denoiuiua-tioiKiir-ehoolM.

Again, bye-law OH says: "During an hour 1 of each day, indicated in thu timetable, children whose p.ireulH desire that thoy should receive .special religious inslruetinn fjnm approved religious teachers of. their respective communions, may receive such instruction, so far as the buildimrs admit of distinct classes lining formed for the purpose, livery public school should be so arranged as to admit of the formation of one such denominational class at the least ; mid. if the simultaneous teaching of more than one be impracticable, classes of the different denominations may be formed on ilillerent days of the week."

11. In the few eases in which cfargyuiou hnvc availed themselves of the operation of the Act. no dilliculty has arisen. The Unman Catholics do not avail themselves of tlie clause. In fact they discourage the sending of their children to public schools, and, in profeienco, send them to Church of England schools.

IH. The Council qt Education appoints the hour ill which religious instructiod may be given. 1 hero quote bye-law S(>, which says : The time-table to be observed in the schools is as follows I'-

1 From '.) to 10, special religious instructor ; or, ill public and provisional schools, when no religious teacher i.-i in attendance, ordinary instruction. From 10 to 12, ordinary instruction. From 1- to 1.30, recess for dinner aud rc-assemblv. From 1.30 to "."0, ordinary instruction " Where the hour appointed in bye-law S(J to special rciigioiis instruction is found inconvenient, oitiicr Cue muster or the religious teacher may petition the Council for an alteration.

IV. in BOiuo schools there is a separate room for such touching ;in some there is not. The council have utated Iliac llio reason why more cln^s room necninmodalion is not provided in the public schools is that the various deiioiiiiinil.ioii.-j have; shewn little disposition to avail themselves ot the facilities oll'mcd. The ciumcil, however, arc quite willing toasaist thoclergyin the matter of religious instruction, as may be soon from the following instance : —ln the second session of tho fourth Synod of. the Diocese of Sydney, hold December, 187S, it was moved, seconded, and carried, "That in thu opinion of this Synod, the importance of imparting religious instruction to the young in the public schools now spread so widely throughout the Diocese, venders it necessary that some movo effectual steps should ■be taken for imparting such instruction at the times sanctioned by the Public Works Act." A committee was' accordingly appointed to consider the question. Now, this committee felt that they would experience considerable difficulty in dealing with the large schools, e.g., the Fort-street Public .School, which is the largest in New South Wales. This school has MX attendance of 1,400 children. It is "divided, into three! departments, viz., girls, boys, and infants. Each department is divided into four classes, the number in each averaging, in tho girls' classes, from 50 to CO, and in the boys' classes from 55 to 70. Of the 1.400 children attending this nchnol about 650 belong to the Church of England. In providing religious instruction for this body of children, two dillieultie=i_ presented themselves to the committee, viz., Ist, the want of space, aud 2nd, the want of Kiiflicient teaching power. It., of course, Jay. in the power of the Council to remove the lirst ililiiculty. According to the regulations, the class that goes for religious instruction must remain tho whole hour. Now, leaving the infant classes out of the question, there are eight classes of boys iind girts to be instiucled ; there arc only five teaching days in the week, and only one hour is set. apart each clay for religious instruction. Thus, with only one classr.oom at their disposal, it would bo impossible for the clergy to give even one lesson to each class in the wesk. Tlie council have have, therefore, piomis'.'d to furnish two class-rooms, and also a pupil teacher,,whose duty it shall be to keep the classes, Ui'order. The second difficulty has?

been removed by three clergymen promising to undertake the religious instruction, each on two mornings in t lie week. There will, therefore, bo two clcrgjmcn present one morning hi Ihc week, tiinco there are only live teaching days in the week, and the arrangement is that two. classes shall us*em oh; in the two class-rooms every morning. (^n the one morning there will Ui> a c!i'i : ;vm:in for ouch class; on the other moriiii:,'^ ilin filurgyman will set one cluss !.n:iii! work, cither scripture reading, or committing to memory passages of seripttuii, iimli r the Riiperintondenco of the p:ipil tr.uiii-r, while lie is engaged with the otljir lex1 hall-:iii-hoiii', A change will then l;ik'i! .iiliii:'1, and the c:hiss he has just liiiiMi in.-inictin;.-; will then bo placed under tin: Hiipuriiitcnilouca of tho pupil teacher whilu he alleild.'1. to the other. In thifl way, each ula'w in the pchnul, omitting the infiinlK, will rrct'ivo live hours religions insti'iiction during the fortnight.

V. f.n reply to your question, "What, do (.ho children r>f other denominations d<: nn'Hiivvhile?" I would say that where religious tnachorß, authorised by the Church of Kngland, do give religious instruction in public schools it is found that practically most at the children belonging to other I'rotcsUiut denorniimtion attend the instruction. The children not attending such instruction receives ordinary instruction from the teachers of tiie School.

Hoping I have given a snllieieiit answer to each of your questions, i remain, my dear sir, yours faithfully, JORKPH CAMI'DKLT*