BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 253, 26 October 1888, Page 4

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

The ordinary meeting of the Board of Education was liold this affcornoon. Present : Messrs J. H. Upton (Chairman), C&ri'i Cooper, Lennox, Monk, Luke, Goldie, and Ucly.

Balances.—Tlio Secretary stated that the balances to-day wore : Education fund credit, £172 3s 7d ; building fund credit, £574 10s 6d ; total, £716 Ms Id. Gills' High School credit, £78 5s 3d. Akt for Schools. —Mr W. Jas. Habon?, Secretary of the Education Department, wrote forwarding prospectus of the Art for Schools Association, and suggesting that the Board should become subscribers.

Buildings.—A letter from the Education Department notilied that tho sum of £3,045 14s, being &t the rate of 6d per head of the population in the school district, would be paid for school buildings ab once. The remainder of the vote is still under the Minister's consideration.

Staff and Salaries. —Tho Secretary of the South Canterbury Education Board forwarded copy of a resolution passed by that Board protesting against introduction of the " strict average " in calculating the attendance at schools, and invited co operation of the Auckland Board in urging its abolition. The Canterbury Board earnestly recommended re-adoption of the working average on the ground that it would do away with the temptation on the part of committees, in special circumstances, to close the schools at times when they otherwise might bo opened, and for many other rea-'ons.

Chairman's Report. — The Chairman's report stated that Puketo school had boon closed on account of scarlafcina. Temporary arrangement had been made .is follows: Miss Greatbach to remain at Ep3om school during absence of Miss Hill at University examination.

Expenditure Upon School Butlmncis.— A report prepared by the North Canterbury Board of Education upon a statement published by the Minister of Education relative to tho expenditure upou school building was laid on the table. We quotes " The Minister lays stress on the fact that while the average attendance for 1887 was 89,589, the total school space waa sufficient for 127,061 children. 'Thus,' he says, 'we havo this extraordinary position— that although there is in some districts ;\ loud cry for increased accommodation, it' 'is ■'known ■to the Department that there" actually exists accommodation for 37,472 children more than there are children to be accommodated.' But there is nothing very extraordinary about this. We find the same state of things in other countries. In England, according to tho returns recently published by the Koyal Commission of Education, tho number of children in average attendance was 3,406,076, while the schools provided room for 5,061,503. Or take the case of New South Wales, where education ie managed from a centre. In New South Wales the average attendance for 1887 was 106,408, and the number of schools places 177,212, an excess much greater than in New Zealand, and there seems still to be a cryforincreased accommodation insome districts, as tho Department was building new schools (including 29 small country schools) to provide for 3,300 more. Further on, the report says : ' Tho Minister is probably right in supposing that £25,000 a year will be sufficient for future building requirements, co tar as new schools areconcerned, butthe question of ropairsand improvements (including painting) haa to bo met. A statement which ignores this largo item states the ca*e very imperfectly and does nob deal fairly with either tho Board or the public."