EDUCATION BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 9471, 16 August 1894, Page 3

EDUCATION BOARD.

The Education Board continued their meeting this morning; present—Messrs J. J. Ramsay (who was voted to the chair), A M'Kerrow, H. Clark, M. Cohen, the Hon] J. MacGregor, and Dr Stenhousc. I'ALMEKSTON'.

Messrs D. W. Philip and C. Gillespie waited on the Board as a deputation from the Palmcrston School Committee to ask for assistance towards the erection of a play shed and a coal shed for the ii3e of the school. The cost would be about £lO, and the Committee were pre- £' arcd to give, £ for £ received from the ioard.

The Chaikman - said the Board, as a rule, assisted school committees where they were prepared to give £ for C, and after the deputation had given expression to their views the Board intimated that they would take tho matter into consideration.

MACANDREW KOAD SCHOOL. A deputation from the Macandrew road School Committee, consisting of Messrs Chetwin, .Gillies, and Shacklock, waited tipon the Board with regard to an application from residents of St. Clair to have" a school erected there.

Mr Chetwin said the application had been made by parents whose children attended the Macandrew road School, but who objected to them doing so on the ground of the insanitary surroundings of the school. The School Committee would Lot like to stand in the way of the St. Clair S:ople if their claims were just and equitable. e, however, would poibt out that the School building would accommodate 700 children. At' the present time the roll number was about 611, and tho average attendance about 529. The school was nothing like over-crowded, and he migh* Bay that the average attendance from St. Clair was forty-five ; so that if a school were built there it would directly interfere with the finances of the Macandrew road School. That was the principal thing the Committee had to consider. The insanitary surroundings of the school had been a sore point for yeara; aud he did not think that the Board had treated the school iu a proper manner in relation to this matter. The ditch about which there had been so much complaint was not, in his opinion, in such an insanitary condition as had been made out, but it was a nuisance. The children were continually falling into it, and the parents, of course, naturally complained. After the other members of the deputation had expressed their views, the Chairman intimated that the Board would take the matter into consideration.

The Hon. J. MacGregor subsequently said he thought the Board should instruct some of their officers to get the Caversham Council indicted for a nuisance, and so bring the matter of the Macandrew road ditch to a head.

APPOINTMENTS. The following appointments were confirmed :—C. R. 1). Richardson, head-teacher, Balclutha, rice Pope; Ada M. Cross, do, Waipiata, vice Campbell, resigned ; Florence Marryatt, do, Table Hill, rice Wood, resigned; Rachel W. Porteous, mistress, Tapanui, vice Nimmo, left the service; Donella Martin, second assistant, Waikouaiti, vice Reid, promoted.

RESIGNATIONS. The following resignations were accepted: —Robina Baxter, head-teacher, Whare Kuri; Ada M. Cross, do, Rongahere; Donella MartiD, do, Moa Creek; Helen Alexander, mistress, Forbury; Rachel W. Porteous, fifth assistant, Mornington ; C. R. D. Richardson, relieving teacher.

THE LIMIT OF AGE FOR PUPIL-TEACHERS. The Inspectors reported on this question as follows :

We think tho limit of age for pupil-teacher candidates might, without any disadvantage, be lowered to fourteen years. It is not desirable that very young persons should be appointed to the office of pupil-teacher, as maturity of judgment and character is fully as necessary for the work undertakes as satisfactory scholarship. In past years it has several times happened that very promising candidates had to be passed by because their age fell a little short of fifteen yeare, while less suitable but older candidates had to bo recommended. With, a lower age limit this experience would not bo repeated, and as those charged with the selection would have greater freedom of choico the service should benefit by the change. The Hon. Mr MacGregor moved aud Dr Stenuouse seconded—"That the age be reduced from fifteen to fourteen accordingly." Mr Clark said that as the inspectors recommended the change he had no objection to it. At the same time he would point out that a pupil-teacher appointed at fourteen was through his apprenticeship at eighteen, and he or she was too young to take a school. A certificate could not be granted until the applicant for it was nineteen, so that a loss of a year would be made in some cases. Mr Cohen remarked that he intended to ask the Board to extend the term of service by a year, making the apprenticeship last tiveyears. Mr Clark : Yes, that would meet the case.

The motion moved by the Hon. Mr MacGregor was agreed to.

THE SCUOOL ATTENDANCE HILL. Mr Cohen, in accordance with notice, moved—"That this Board approve of the terms of the School Attendance Bill, and express the hope that it may become law this session." He called the attention of the Board to clause 3, which read as follows :—" Every child between the age of seven years and the age of thirteen years is hereby required to attend soma public school at least six times a week, morning attendances and afternoon attendances being separately counted." He was of opinion that that clause should be altered by the addition of the word average—that was to say, that the average attendance during the week should count. Another suggestion he intended to make was that in the country districts the radius of two miles was too small, butsofaras the two miles affected the townsandboroughß he thought it should stand. It might, however, be made three miles for the country districts. He did not think the Act would be workable if the power of exemption rested with the Board only. If the committees were given the power to exempt it would be

ali right. To put himself in order ho naked the consent of the Board to add to his motion—" That the Board suggests t» tho Minister, that tlio mileage should, bo extended to three in country districts, and that the words 'on the average' be added after the words, t a week' at the end of lino three in clause three*'' . . The Secretary explained that it was evidently the intention of the Act to hold tho schoolmaster responsible for the exemp tion, and the Board could very well place that responsibility on the teacher. Mr Cohen, continuing, said that speaking from his own experience he know the present Act as regards attendance was a dead letter. They had only to walk down to the wharf and they would see hundreds of boys about that locality, a state of things that was really a crying e\ il, and if it was only to cure that he would support the Bill. Mr Clark did not think.the three-mile radius should bo compulsory, as it might be a hardship in some cases where the roads were bad.

Mr Cohen : There is an exemption in the case of bad roads. .

Mr Clark said he would strongly support <he two-mile radius. He thought the chairman's attempt to force children of seven or eight to walk three miles was monstrous. The motion as amended by Mr Cohen was carried.

THE EXAMINATION OF SCHOOL. Mr Cohen, in. accordance with notice, moved—" That the motions of May 17 and July 19 be rescinded, and that the inspectors be directed to act in future in terms of the Minister of Education's letter of August 4." He said that when the motions he spoke of were agreed to the Board were acting in the belief that certain resolutions passed at the Inspectors' Conference would be agreed to by the department, but the department had adopted, only a portion of them. He thought the Board should fall in with the directors of the department. He wished to see individual examinations done away with as much as anybody did, but he did not think they should go antagonistic to the department.

Mr Clark seconded the motion, which was carried.

; THE CLASSIFICATION" OF SCHOOLS. Mr Cohen, speaking to his notice of motion respecting the classification of schools, said he thought they should discuss a motion like that in a full Board. If there was a reasonable hope of seeing a full attendance at the October meeting he was prepared to move that the matter should then be considered.

The Board agreed to take up the motion at the October meeting. AITOINTMENT OF TKACIILKS.

The Chairman moved the motion of which he yesterday gave notice, as follows: — "That an advisory board, consisting of a member of this Board, one of the inspectors, and a teacher nominated by the Educational Institute, be constituted, whose function it shall be to assist the Board and the school committees in the appointment of teachers on principles calculated to secure promotion for ellicieucy and length of service, to give teachers who have served the Board for a considerable time in out-of-the-way places a fair chance of advancement, and generally enable the Board and committees to do justice to all teachers alike in the matter of appointments, and to promote the eflieicncy of the service, and that all former resolutions as to the method of appointing teachers be rescinded." He thought that there could be no two opinions in the Board as to the system of the appointment of teachers to schools. It was having a bad effect on the service. The teachers themselves condemned it, and it really had nothing to recommend it. The teacher's work was not taken into consideration at all, and once a teacher got iuto a country school, no matter what his ability or his classification, he had no chance of getting an appointment near town. That in itself was an unsatisfactory state of affairs. Then, the practice of button-holing committees was anything but elevating in its effects. The subject Was really a most important one, and it was for the reason that it was so important that he thought they should consider it at once. He had drawn up a set of rules for the guidance of the Board as follows : 1. The Educational Institute shall be iuvited from time to time to nominate a teacher to act as a member of advisory board, and the member so nominated shall continue to act till the next annual meeting of the Institute. In case of a vacancy by death, resignation, or otherwise, the Committee of Management of the Institute may nominate a teacher to act till next annual meeting.

2. The inspectors shall make arrangements from time to time for one of them attending the meetings of the board. 3. In the event of the member of the Board appointed to act as a member of the advisory board not being able to attend any meeting of such board he shall nominate some member of the Education Board to act in his place. 4. Two shall form a quorum. 5. All applications and testimonials of candidates for appointment shall stand referred to tho advisory board. 6. The advisory board may make such recommendations or suggestions to the Board as it may think fit. In dealing with applications the advisory board shall make recommendations as follow:—Either (1) recommend one particular teacher for appointment; or (2) recommend ouo particular teacher for appointment, and indicate such other or others as the advisory board may consider suitable ; or (3) make a selection of the most suitable candidates. The advisory board may indicate by number or otherwise their opinion as to relative merits of candidates. 7. The Board expects the members of the advisory board to hold no communication with any candidate directly or indirectly, or with members of tho Board, with reference to any candidate. And teachers in the Board's service are enjoined that they are not to canvass members of the advisory board either directly or indirectly.

He hoped the Board would rise to the occasion, and once and for all put an end to the absurd system that had hitherto prevailed. After some hesitation on the part of members, Mr Cohen rose and seconded the motion pro forma, and suggested that Mr Ramsay should allow the matter to stand over for a full meeting, as tho motion and the one he himself proposed to bring up regarding the classification of schools practically turned one on the other. A measure of such large and far - reaching importance as the chairman proposed should not come on the Board as a surprise, and should not be pushed to a conclusion at almost the same meeting as the one at which it was given notice of. While he was quite at one with Mr Ramsay in saying that the system of appointing teachers should be radically altered, he thought that any scheme to commend itself to those whom it most affected should bo such that a man would know that his promotion depended on merit. Any scheme that brought about that result would do a great deal to promote the cause of education in the district. Dr Stenhouse urged the chairman lo postpone his motion. He was not prepared to discuss the proposed scheme, as he could sec a good many objections to it; but at the same time he saw the necessity for something being done. The Hon. Mr MacGregor thought the present system was a disgrace to all concerned. It degraded the teachers, compelling them to resort to all sorts of undignified methods of securing appointments—buttonholing members of committees, and other illegal proceedings —leading to the result that it was only by accident that merit received its reward. In the absence of some proper system of classification, he thought that a suggestion such as the one now proposed would be the most satisfactory way of dealing with the matter of appointments. The subject of classification had, however, received a great deal of consideration from the Board some years ago, and after it had been gone into very fully the Board were forced to give it up as imEracticable at that time. Perhaps it would e possible to devise some scheme now, and if it was, then Mr Ramsay's motion would be unnecessary. If not, Mr Ramsay's scheme would be a great relief to teachers, and it would tend to a great extent to do justice to them. Mr Clark thought a better system of appointing teachers theu the method that now prevails should be adopted. Ho reminded the Board that at ono time they instituted a bystemof three uamea, which he believed if properly carried out would have proved a benefit to all concerned; but this proposal of Mr Kamsay's seemed to him to be even more objectionable than that system was, as it woulq take all fronv the committeea,

The CltAiltMAN said that «& It was evidently the wish of tho Board to defer consideration he would agree to motion standing over till the October meeting.

inspectors' reports.

On the motion of Mr Cohen it was resolved—"That in future the reports.of the inspectors On the examinations of sohools shall.be copied in full into the record of examination results kept by the Board; that another copy of tho Bame shall be forwarded to the head-master of each school, with a direction to supply each teacher under him with the full text of that report so far as it relates to the standard work of such assistant; that the report, so far as it relates to the examination results, shall be copied into the examination register of each school; and that the regulation in regard to the endorsement of teachers' certificates (Nos. 24 and 25) be rescinded, as from the coming into operation of the new regulations of the department."

OENERAL. •Accounts amounting to £5,879 3s lid were passed for payment. It was decided, to offer twelve junior and twelve senior scholarships for competition this year. On the motion of Mr Cohen, seconded by Dr Stenhouse, it was resolved—" That the chairman, the Hon. John MacGrcgor, Dr Stenhouse, Mr Fraser, and the mover be appointed a sub-committee to prepare standing orders for the conduct of the Board's business." Mr M'KerroW moved—"That the Board revert to their former practice of meeting on the third Wednesday of each month at two o'clock, and on tho following Thursday at eleven o'clock."—Carried. The Board Avent into committee.