PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 17, 15 October 1926, Page 8

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

NEW CHIEF INSPECTOR MR. W. W. BIRD APPOINTED The appointment was announced yesterday of Mr. William Watson Bird, M.A., at present Senior Inspector of Schools, Wellington district, to the position of Chief Inspector of Primary Schools, in the place of Mr. T. B. Strong, M.A., B.Sc., recently appointed Assistant Director of Education. Mr. Bird was born in England and came to New Zealand at an early age. After attending the Caversbam public school in Otago, where he won the junior and senior scholarships, Mr. Bird became a pupil for five years at the Otago Boys' High School. In 1887 the new Chief Inspector entered as a pupil teacher under the Otago Board, and during his services with the board obtained his B.A. and M.A. degrees. Mr. Bird’s subsequent record of service in the educational' world has been as follows:—Two years in the day school department of the. Caversham Industrial School; first assistant Mount Cook Boys’ School from 1894 to 1899; headmaster at Karori to 1901; organising teacher of Native schools to 1903; assistant inspector of Native. schools to 1901; senior inspector of Native schools to 1915; senior inspector of primary schools, Hawke’s Bar, to 1924 ; and senior inspector in Wellington . since that date.

Mr. Bird’s service under the Education Department itself tot als 26 years.