EDUCATION IN NORTH CANTERBURY.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14344, 2 May 1912, Page 5

EDUCATION IN NORTH CANTERBURY.

BOARD'S ANNUAL REPORT.

' Tho annual report of the Education Board of the district of North 'Canterbury was formally presented yesterday by the chairman (Mr M. Dals-iel). The report is for the year ending-December 3lst last, and it contains some items of interest to the public. The total expenditure under tho heading of buildings during 1911. including architects' offico expenses and salaries, but exclusive of the cost of technical school buildings, was £12,565 lis lOd. A large proportion oMhis was absorbed by necessary repairs, minor improvements, and painting. The number ot schools in operation at tho end of the year was 212, including 19 aided schools. ■ Dealing with attendance, the report points out tltoit tho previous practice had been to make the December quarter the basis of calculation in connection with the percentage of attendance. As the attendance in any ono quarter was liable to fluctuate, a truer indication of the position was obtained by taking the attendance for the whole year. On this latter basis, the percentage of attendance for 1911 was 89.92. and that for the previous year 87.03. This is the highest percentage recorded by the Board, going bttck to 1878. The year is a record statistically, as the total number of schools, 212, the total number on roll 21,551, .and, the average attendance 18,920, and tho percentage of attendance 89.92 arc the highest recorded in the history of the district. There were 619 teachers at the end of 1911, an increase of 27 over 1910. The uncertificated teachers numbered 57, many of whom, however, had passed certificate examinations or held partial, salification.-. The expenditure on salaries and allowances to teachers enj gafjed primary departments was £77,493 17s, the grants to school -om- [ mittces and other incidental expenses amounting to £6693 7s 7d. making a total of £84,186 14 s 7d. The expenditure on salaries as compared With the previous year showed an increase of £2103 los 4d. The salaries paid to teachers in secondary departments amounted to £2773 13s -Id, being _ decrease of .-■St' 18s Sd. In moving the adoption of the report, the Chairman said that the year had been a busy one. He thought tho Board should make a forward movo in regard to re-building. A number of schoolhouscs and buildings, whilo fairly sound, were out of date, and not suitable for the requirement's of the present day. Ho did not advocate a spendthrift policy, but, where tho schoolhoutes were obsoleto the Board should try to get them condemned and rebuilt. The same thing applied to some of tho residences, which did not come up to tho standard of comfort and convenience demanded now by all classes. They should be pulied down and modern residences erected The instruction in agriculture liad been carried on vigorously during the vcar, and" it had brought the matter prominently before the tanners. Agricultural instruction was now being desired in tho country not only by the children but by adults. He hoped to see an exten- •?. on .. * • ,? rknm ' being done by the District High Schools. Mr Langford said that the attendance m the district was on the up" grade which was a matter for congratulation. Dr. Rus-scll expressed the hope that' th© time would soon arrive when teachers' salaries would-be independent of attendance returns. • The Chairman said that the expenditure on -ft.ar.e- had increased, but Swi^r 1 ! j ur ° on incidentals and buddings had not increasedTfae report Waa adop ££-