SCHOOL INSPECTORATE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 27, 31 July 1924, Page 6

SCHOOL INSPECTORATE

THE WELLINGTON CHANGES.

Mr. W. W. Bird, M.A., has taken over the position of Senior Inspector :of Schools in the 'Wellington Education District, in place of Mr. F. H. Bakewell, who recently retired. Mr. Bird has been Senior Inspector of Schools in Hawkes Bay for some years, and was recently in the Auckland district under the cxi change system, inaugurated this year. The: new inspector has had a particularly interesting career. He was educated at the Caversham School in Otago, and after that at the Otago Boys' High School, his secondary education being assisted by two scholarships with terms aggregating five years. At the completion of this period Mr. Bird.entered the services of the Otago Education Board as a pupil teacher. While still in this position he secured his B.A. degree. He then went to the Otago Training College for two years, completing his M.A. degree in the first year, and gaining with it honours in niertal science. He remained in the South Island for two years as headmaster of a, grade 3 school, and thirty years ago came to Wellington as first assistant master at Mount Cook Boys' School. He spent six years at Mount Cook School, and this period wilj be well remembered by a number of the younger business men of Wellington who came under his influence at the time. Mr. Bird was then headmaster at Karori for a year, and relinquished this position to take up one of organising teacher of Native schools. During his years in Wellington he had become somewhat of a Maori scholar under the . tutorship of, the late Mr. J. H. Pope, at one time Chief Inspector of Native Schools. On the retirement of Mr. Pope, Mr. Bird succeeded him, and was connected with the native schools until 1915. During that time he travelled extensively amongst tho Natives, including the natives of the Chatham Islands. In 1913 he drew up the system of education now in force in those islands, while in 1920, he was directed to proceed to Samoa, and the scheme of education, which is stated to be now working successfully, was decided upon.. From 1916, Mr. Bird was Senior Inspector of Schools in Hawkes Bay, and the results gained in scholarships and pupil teacher examinations in that district have lately been the best in New Zealand.

The esteem in which Mr. Bird was held in Hawkes Bay was expressed when he was. farewelled by the Education Board in that district. The board stated' that Mr. Bird had done excellent work in the district, and the increased efficiency of the schools was largely due to Mr. Bird's enthusiasm, and the manner in which the teachers were inspired, encouraged, and assisted in carving out their work.