RURAL EDUCATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 104, 29 October 1909, Page 2

RURAL EDUCATION.

EXTENDED COURSES FOR HIGH SCHOOLS. ADOPTED B^ THE EDUCATION BOARD. * At yesterday's meeting of the Wel« lington Education Board a recommendation was received from the Chief Inspector, on behalf of the board's inspectors, that all the district high schools in the country be required to adopt a course of agricultural instruction as laid down in regulation 27 (g) ; •that in order to carry out the programme extra instructors be appointed for agriculture, etc., and woodwork; that an instructress be appointed for cookery and dressmaking. That, where necessary, application be made to the department for a grant for a room for woodwork at Levin, Carterton, Pahiatua, and perhaps Greytown. The question of salary was not mentioned in the recommendation, as it was thought the Finance Committee might wish to discuss the question. In May last the Education Department, through the Inspector-General, of Schools (Mr. G. Hogben) suggested that it might be practicable in certain rural districts to group small district high schools (for the purpose of bringing about a more intimate relation than, generally speaking, at present obtains at district high schools and rural pursuits). Further, it was hoped to arrange that the classes bearing specially on agriculture might be taken by itinerant instructors. & conference was subsequently_ held at Greytown, when Mr. Robert Lee (chairman .of Wellington Education Board), Messrs. T. R. Flemming, and F. H. Bakewell (inspectors), and Messrs. W. H. Jackson (Masterton), A. N. Burns (Carterton), and A. B, Charters (Greytown), headmasters of these district high schools, discussed a project. The outcome is the above recommendation. The suggested course of agricultural instruction comprised : — English, arithmetic, and book-keeping, 4 hours ; geography and civics and economics, 1 hour each ; drawing to scale and elementary building construction, (boys), hygiene and physiology (girls), 2 hours ; surveying and mensuration (boys), dressmaking, etc. (girls), 2 hours; woodwork (boys), cookery (girls), elementary physiology and anatomy of farm animals (boys), household economj (girls), 1 hour ; elementary physics (farm mechanics), 2 hours; agricultural science and rural economy, 3 hours; dairying (1 hour) ; and physical instruction, I hour 1 total, 34 hours. Subjects 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are subjects on which capitation is payable under the regulations for manual a"nd technical instruction. In reply to various questions, Mr. Flemming explained that the appointment of itinerary instructors in agriculture would allow Mr. W. C. Davis (Agricultural Instructor) to devote more time to outlying schools. Mr. A. H. Vile pointed out that Hawkes Bay had set a lead in this matter. On the motion of Mr. Field, it- was resolved that the report be adopted, and that the matter of finance and detail be left in the hands of the chairman and inspector to deal with.