BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Press, Volume XXXI, Issue 4292, 2 May 1879, Page 3

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

♦ Thumdat, Mat 1. The ordinary ibaefcing of -the Board of Education for North Canterbury was held at the Normal School at three o'dock. Present —Messrs 3. Inglis (chairman), A. Duncan, A. Saunders, E. 0. J. Stevens, W. Montgomery H. B. Webb, and Bey. O. Fraser. BFSIHKSS DOSH BT THB CHATBMAT*.. 3*he busmess done by the chairman sines last meeting was approved of. THE lATB TEACHERS* aißßirjura. The following letter was read : Education Department, Christchurch, April 25th. The Secretary Boird of Edocation, Christchurch. Sir,—l have the honor, by direction of th* Minister of Education, to for ward the following reply to the resolution passed at a meeting of the North Cantarbnry teachers, held on March Bth, 1879, a copy of which was.forwarded by you, under cover of jour letter of the 4th instant:— 1. It is considered expedient to encourage candidates for the profession of public school teaching to become graduates of the University, j 2. The drawing np of regulations for tbe I instruction of pupil teachers is entrasted to the Boards, subject to the subsequent approv-1 of the Mini.ter. Further, it is the opinion of the Minister that pupil teachers, if well qualified for their appointment at first, aud if well instructed during their four years of service (in districts where the period of service is four years), ought to endeavour to pass the examination for Class D. and that it would be weH fcr them so to choose their subjects as to matriculate at the same time.

3. It is not deemed advisable to fetter the inspectors by providing questions for the standard examinations as proposed. 4. It is undoubtedly advisable to give the character of object lessons a very large proportion of the lessons 'given in elementary, science, and if teachers can compress the■tandard course of elementary science into the fourth and fifth standards, with any reasonable measure of success, the systematic study, of some one science in its more elementary parts, may well be undertaken in the sixth standard. John Histor. BBTIBIS& AI__OWAXCBB FOR BCHOOI___A*T__BS.

A letter was read from the Government, in reply to the application of Mr Cox, schoolmaster, for a retiribg allowance, stating that the Government must decline to grant the application, and that they had np intention of establishing a pension fund for schoolmasters,, but that they had asked the Government Insurance Department to make inquiries, and report on the subject of establishing a teachers' annuity and a widow and orphans' fund.; THB lATB MB' CUHBBBWOBTH. . A letter was read stating that the late Mr Oumherworth had left a widow and aeveral small children, and that they had very little provision left them. Mr Cumber worth had been one of the oldest schoolmasters in Canterbury. It was resolved to apply to the Government, as the Board considered this was a special case. .y An application was made by Mr Kane, of Stoke, for a retiring allowance. JETe said that he had been teaching, On and off, for a period of fifty years. It was also resolved to forward this application to the Government, and to ask for a d-finite answer to a former letter.

PBO7BBBOS BIC-88-OS'S XBCTOTUS. A telegram was read from the Government, stating that return tickets weuld be granted at single fares to teacher* arid students attending Professor Bickertbu'slectureß, if they were in possession of the necessary certificates. SmrfDAT SCHOOL BOOM. The application of the Bey. E. A. Lingard for the use of a room; in tha Normal school for the Sunday sohool chldren of St. Duke's, pending the erection of a new school, was granted. ■ ?■"-'' -V " "' : ■'■ <-' ABHBUBTOH. Application waa made by the Ashburton School Committee for tbs refund of certain unauthorised; expenditure. .The sum of five pounds was grantee from the building fund, and the rest was ordered to be taken from "incidentals." BJ_l__ OP BOOKS. The following was read;— - East Christchurch Educational District. Sir, —I have the bo.or, by direction of the East Christchurch School Committee, in referring to my letter (_f the 12i_n March in reply to yours of the 24th Febuary, in the matter of the sale of books to children attending the schools in the district, to.hand you a copy of tbe head-master's memorandum on the subject,; and-to-state that t_te«ommittea have decided— Ist. That no Ranges are to be made oftener than twice a year. 2nd. That no changes are to be made without tho committee consents. 3rd. Teachers in no -earn to sell books, but the i head-master to keep a supply for cases of enter-, gency, tha same to be sold in all cases at English prices. 4th. That it is desirable to appoint a bookseller to the schooL ..: : I have, &c, - • ■' H. C. M. Watson, .._.. Chairman. John Inglis, Esq., Chairman. Board of Education for the District of North -Canterbury. Copy of memorandum from head master East Obristcburch Education district :— a-kreh 11th, 1879. Having received information from the chairman that the committee was requested to report to the Board upon the system of selling books in the East Christchurch schools .and upon the all. god hardship entailed upon parents through having to provide new school books unnecessarily, I have ventured-to put before the com-' mittee a few facts which I think, will enable them to form a correct judgment upon what .seems to be a generally misunderstood question. - 1. Since I took office as head master neither am I myself; nor is any other teacher,* pecuniarily interested in tha sale of books,- and any, pressure that has been brought to bear upon pupils: to bay books has beal the result of a laudable desire to see them properly provided; with school requisites. 2. Some changes have been made in the text books in use in the main school, and very great stress has been laid by mc on the fact that, unless pupils are provided with books necessary for the Government standard in which they are placed by the Inspector, they must remain in the standard last passed. 3. These changes have been made gradually, with the greatest care, and with a due regard to economy, as the following facts will show: — (ti) The time selected for making the change was at the beginning of the year, when every pupil that was passed by the inspector must of necessity be provided with new books for the work of the new standard. °' (5) The text books prescribed were exactly those recommended by the Government regulations for the work of each standard, neither more nor less, (c) On the whole the set of books recommended by me' for each standard is cheaper than the books, previously in use in the schools, (rf) Only those pupils were required to provide; the text books recommended who were not supplied with a text book of any kind upon the standard subject. (.) The change was by no mean 3 sweeping, for on tho boys' side the old textbooks are still chiefly in use, for the reason that a large proportion of the boy 3 were well provided with books. The greater number of new books was introduced on the girls* side, for the reason that very few girls were provided with text bcoka of any kind. In conclusion, I may say that so long as children make progress and parents are forced to put their hands in their pockets every year or half-year to provide new books, in order that their children may be advanced into a higher class, so long will there be a certain amount of grumbling at the expense. The gi ambling is not confined to any one district, or any particular kind of school, from the College to the primary schooL The providing of books every year or half-year is an item that must be faced, and the more rapid the progress of the pupil in learning, the more book 3 must his parent or, guardian find for him to devour. TUB 80-THBKIDGK COBBIKG CASH. The secretary read the following report :— Christchnrch,: May Ist, 1879. The (3ha£rman of the Board of Education. _ Sir,—We have the honour to report that, m aceee-ance with the instructions of the Board, we visited Southbridge on Tuesday last, and made inquiries into the alleged ill-treatment of childrea attending the .drool. The inquiry was held op*nly in the schoolroom, in the presence of the chain-—n and members of the committee, the masters of the school, the several com-p-jinaats, and a considerable number of the public, whose interest in the matter under examination induced them to attend, and in some cases to offer themselves in evidence. We examined' a large number of witnesses," including the master, assistant, and pupil teacher, Mr and Mrs Barlow, and Mrs McNeely, Mr Spring and Mr Werdbory, who had complaints to urge independently of the cases that gave rise to the enquiry, the children who had concerned actively or passively in the alleged " cobbing," and some witnesses, whose testimony * 3S prof erred by the head master. Mr Elwin was present throughout, and was allowed tojjut questions to tbe witnesses. The whole of the evidence was taken down in -writing by Mr Veel, and accompanies this report. It appe_uatl»t.vl«*i»falO'«^n_uSouthhridge BChoEtl, was introduced by the head master.' "Cobi-ng" mfians thai lha-hoy ~mol

treated ia aat-upan.hy anynamhax oiatkssa, buffetted with caps, lashed with switches, and generally/is one witness expressed it, "knocked about a bit." Mr Elwin »eems -to-have refarded tbe practice a« a useful School isciphrae, and esjteci-fly io have rfelied npon it a. as incentive to punctual attendance. Children who came late bang ordered to stand on the forms, aud thus designated to the school as those who were to receire ponishment from their fellows daring play hours. Hut he states that be never intended the rule to apply to girls, and that on hearing that the b.ys had so misunderstood him as to suppose themselves authorised to molest the girls, he rebuked them for such an abuse of the power sab__.it.ed to them, and withdrew his instractions. The withdrawal, however, was not sufficiently explicit or effective. Cabbing became thenceforth an established phase in the school. The boys practise it amongst themselves as one of their common sports. _ome at least of the teachers seemed to have considered it as notpositivelyprohibited.Thechildrenwhowereexamined ] showed that they looked on it as a punishment I to which late attendance or misbehaviour would render them liable. A boy named Biordon was twice cobbed for such faults, without tbe circumstance attracting any notice from the school authorities ; and finally a pupil teacher, left in charge (fa room during tha master's absence, finding two boys, Barlow and McNeely—particular!/" troublesome, thrust them out into the plaTground to be cobbed by the rest of the class, I and stood by and Matched the operation. He evidently a.sumed that in resorting to this means of maintaining order he was acting in the spirit of the master's instructions.

Two witnesses deposed to their children.being kept in constant dread of a cobbing, and ono had removed his girl from the school on this account. Bnt it must be noted that, amid many assertions that the practice was habitual in the school, no specific instance could be adduced, or had been heard of. except the three mentioned—the assault on Mr Spring's girl, tbe cobbing of Eiordon, and the cobbing of Barlow and McNeely. Nor did the complainants thiak it expedient to bring the subject under, the 'netice of the committee or tb appeal to the Board of Education. The committee expressly declare that there have never been any serious complaints, from parents respecting the treatment or punishment of their children.

The case of Barlow and McNeely, which was the immediate subject of enquiry, is for all essential purposes admitted. Some of the representations made in the parents' letters to the ccmmitt.e were not boine out, and especially iv the case of McNeely, the account of violence used and injury done to the boys was overstated. McNeely, for instance, was not dragged across the playground in the manner described. But that the boys were cobbed by their class and that it was done by the direct order of' the pupil teacher in charge at the time, iB not disputed. As the whole of the result of our enquiry, we are of opinion that while there has been much exaggeration the complainants have substantiated a basis of fact, and that such an investigation as hab taken place was much needed to arrest at once the growth of a system, of the obvious and grave end of which the head-master has shown a very inadequate conception. We have,'4c, Chas. Fbasbb. . : J. V. Co__borne-Veel.

The Bey. C. Iraser (one of the commissioners) said there was a veiy distinct contradiction between the statements of some of the boys and their parents. The statements of the boys were by far the more moderate. He had found that cobbing, was. a practice tbat existed elsewhere, particularly in Dunedin, where it prevailed among the children in some of the schools.

Mr Duncan moved—"That the Board approve Of-the report of the commission and resolve that Mr Elwin, the 'master of the Southbridge school, be severely censured for having introduced;the pvjustice of cobbing in the school, a practice which cannot be allowed in any School under the control of the Board ; and further, that anyteaoherwho shall in future sanction or allow Buoh a practice shall be immediately dismissed; copies of : this resolution to be sent to the Southbridge school committee, to [Mr Barlow, to Mr McNeely." . Mr Stevens did not think the motion of Mr Duncan was strong enough. Tbe Board 'should mark its displeasure of Mr El-win's conduct by removing him, at least for a time, from the position which he now held.' Mr Saunders agreed with Mr Stevens.; The conduct of the master showed a: spirit of brutality. .-..f. .< y Mr Webb thought the Bosrd ought to mark -its sense of the master's conduct more strongly than could be done by the resolution. •"»The Bey. O. Fraser spoke in favor of the motion.'. -•*

After somefuitherdiscusaion, : ;-__.* ___._ -y j - Mr Saunders, moved; as an amendment, "That the Board approves of the. report of the commission -oa tbe Southbridge cobbing case, and considers that the introduction of sucliapractice byT-he"master shows him to' be unfitted for the position he occupies, and; should call for his removal by due notice."' : Seconded try Mr Stevens.- : . -.- ".£ S Mr. Montgomery thought the ends desired would _c met by the resolution proposed by, Mr Duncan. • '■_■'' Mr Webb, said if the practice; bady only been going on for a month that would cause him tcfalter Ms opinion on the subject somewhat. ' 7 ■ The Secretary; Mr Veel (one of the commissioners), being asked to give his opinion, ■aid he thought that dismissal would be more: than the case required, while, on the Other hand, the censure ought to be a very severe; one. The amendment was put and lost, and the; resolution agreed to. . ~ ■ v . ;C" The Board then went into committee, after which it adjourned.