EDUCATION BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 10343, 17 June 1897, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARD.

The meeting to-day w*s attended b/ Mf D. Borrie (chairman), the Hon. J. Mae* QregOr, and Uewn H. Clark, W. Snow, J. M. Gallaway, and P. B. Fraier. RESIGNATIONS. The following resignatioDß were aooepted: —Thomas A. Tinlay, head-teacher, - Purekireki; Elizi White, mistress, Watepa; Helen L. M'Leod, mistress, Lovell Flat; Jane Mitchell, mistress, Otepopo; J. R. Rutherford, third assistant, Kensington; Louisa F. Cameron, pupiNteacher, Lawrenoe District High School APPOINTMENTS. The following appointmenta were made *.— Kokonga, head-teacher, Thomas A. Finlay, new appointment; Olenkenicb, headteacher, Elizi White, vict Bowling, promoted ; Mannka bland, head-teacher, Wilhelmina Harlow, vice Johnson, left the servioe; Kakapnaka, head-teacher, Eliza S. Paterson, vice M'Laren, promoted; Caversham, second male assistant, John B. Ratherford, vice Don, promoted; Northeast Valley, junior female assistant, Helen L. M'Leod, vice Burnßide, left the service. GENERAL. Messrs J. B. Beid and J. 8. Fleming attended as a deputation from the Otakia Committee to ask that the falling off in the attendance be not made the occasion of reducing the staff.—lt Was decided that no alteration be made till after the examination. Accounts amounting to £8,294 6s Id were passed for payment. SUGGESTIONS BY THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE. The following letter was read i May 18,1937. The Chairman Education Board. Sir,—At a meeting of the Committee of Man' agement it was resolved to respectfully submit to the Education Board resolutions bearing on (I) corporal punishment, (2) the annual examination of pupil-teachers, (3) the pupil-teachers' lo* book. Corporal Punishment.—lt was resolved that the Board be respectfully requested to amend regulation 97 by substituting the word 'major for "minor,' and that the words " in the presence of the head-master" be omitted altogether from regulation 95. Annual Examination of Pupil-teachers.—The Institute is of opinion that it is inadvisable to alter the time of examination from December to June. If it is held in June, at the midwinter recess, either the pupil • teachers will have no holiday, or the schools will have to be carried on a whole week without their assistance, a very serious inconvenience in law schools where pupilteachers have to do the wont of the junior cusses. Again, at midwinter the school examinations hare just been or are about to be held, and, at the time succeeding or preceding an examination, the pre ! senee of the full staff is necessary. The Institute is further of opinion that the examination should be held at the termination of the year's engagement, otherwise first class pupil-teachers will nave no prescribed coarse of study for six months of their last year; and fourth class pupil-teachers will be examined on a year's course of study within less than six months of their appointment. It has been urged that as pupil-teachers have to piss a test examination they are by virtue of that test able to pass the first examination as pupilteachers. That being so, one of the examinations appeal's to be unnecessary. It is also advisable that the year's course of Btudy should extend over the same period as that fixed by the teachers' and University examinations to enable pupil-teachers to arrange their year's work, to meet both examinations if they choose to do so. The Institute recognises that the examinations in December have in the past unreasonably intrenched on the Christmas holidays of the inspectors, but considers that it is unnecessary to get out the results as expeditiously as has been done iu the past. Candidates for all examinations beyond the pupil-teachers' course have to wait three or four months, and suffer no appreciable hardship thereby. There does not seem to be any valid reasons for altering the time of the examinations, and in the opinion of the Institute the proposed alteration will prove unsatisfactory, if not impracticable. For these and other reasons the Institute would respectfully suggest that the examinations be held, as formerly, in December. The most convenient date appears to be the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of the last week of the school year, when most of the junior classes of large schools are dismissed for the holidays. Pupil-teachers' Log Bool*.— The Institute would respectfully ask the Board to take into consideration the question of pupil-teachers' log books. In the opinion of the Institute these log books are unnecessary, as the annual examinations will show very clearly if the prescribed book has been done, and as their introduction must lead to a system of espionage—an undesirable element to introduce into our school system. The Institute desires to call attention to pupilteachers' regulation No. 24, with regard to the remuneration payable to head-masters for the instruction of pupil-teachers. There is some misunderstanding regarding the interpretation of this regulation. The Institute would respectfully ask the Board if the allowance stated is to be regarded as a specific allowance for specific services, or if it is subject to reduction in the event of a pupilteacher being appointed, say, in March instead of in February.—l am, etc., Walter EOdey, Hon. Sec. The Chairman explained that he received a letter from a teacher who represented the head-teachers in and about Dunedin asking him (Mr Borrie) to arrange for a conference on oertain subjects which were not mentioned, but which he understood had nothing to do with anything then before the Board. He arranged a meeting, and they laid these matters before him, and then, being afraid that he oould not carry the whole thing in his head, he asked that the. matter be reduoed to writing. That had been done, and he had asked the inspectors to report on the statement Their report ww as follows : The main purpose of the change was to shift from midsummer to midwinter a portion of the Work hitherto done by the inspectors during the midsummer school vacation. The following is the work: 1. The examination of pupil-teachers—about ninety in number—in a large number of subjects. 2. The examination for scholarships of a large number of competitors in from six to seven subjects. 3. The examination of candidates for pupilteacherships—over 100 in number—in three subjects. This is a very formidable body of work to press into the midsummer school vacation, and it was thought by the late chairman and ourselves that it ought to be divided—a portion taken at midwinter and the rest at midsummer. This arrangement was suggested to and adopted by the Board. The holding of the pupil-teachers'exami-nation at midwinter will certainly deprive, the pupil-teachers of half the midwinter holiday week, but the midsummer examination deprives them of precisely the same number of holidays; and these teachers would, we believe, rather be deprived of a portion of the midwinter than of the midsummer holidays. At midwinter the schools are closed for a week, and their examination is not resumed until they have been reopened a week. This week and a part of the previous one wc propose to give to the examination of pupilteachers' papew. The examination of pupilteachers at this time of the year can have no effect, good or bad, upon the working of the schools. The Committee of Management "consider that it is unnecessary to get out the results as expeditiously as has been done in the past." This opinion appears to ua to have been formed without due consideration of all the circumstances. The High Schools reopen early in February; hence; if the scholarship winners are to be<nn their secondary education at the beginning of the school term, the Board must assign the scholarships at the January meeting; and this they cannot do without the results of the examination. The new appointments of pupil-teachers must be made at the February meeting of the Board, and befcre these can all be made the Board must have before them the results of the December examination. Before the same meeting of the Board inust.be worked out the results of the examination of candidates for pupil-teacheiships, and this involves not onlv the examination of the papers of over 100 candidates, but the travelling from end to end of the district to test the candidates in teaching. But, even if the results of these examinations were not needed for the January and February meetings of the Board, the circumstance that some schools are to be inspected during February, March, April, and the first half of May would render it in practicable for the inspectors to spend any portion of this time in examining scholarship and pupil-teacher papers. There is, we think, little doubt that the pupilteachers' text examination has, in large measure, rendered unnecessary the fourth class examination. We think that pupil-teachers appointed under present arrangements might omit this examination and proceed to the third class examination in June or July of the year following that in which they are appointed. The remaining two examinations will tiien follow at intervals of one year, the f'mil examination falling in the middle of the last year of apprenticeship. This will give first class pupil-teachers the opportunity of preparing specially for the matriculation examination in December, or for the teachers' elimination in January. Instead of facing two examinations in Decern her (or in December and January), they will dispose of one in June or July, and then have six months to prepare for the ether. This we regard as of decided advantage to them. It has been said that, no work being prescribed for the second half of the last year of apprenticeship, pupil-teachers of the first class will have no literary work to do during that time. We do not think there i; much in this. Teachers are paid to teach their pupil-teachers during the whole course of the four years' apprenticeship, and. therefore, it is their duty to teach them during the second half of the last yea». What they are to teach them is, we think, sufficiently defined by the examination for which they may be preparing. It is our opinion tl.at these young men and women will proceed to th* training college with a better literary equipment under the new than under the old arrangement. We trust the Board will give +h? new arrangement a trial. - If in the course of a year or two it should be found not to work well, w- could revert to the old one. The first half of Regulation 22 is almost iodentical with one of t&u North Canterbury regulations. We think it should stand. ':be second

half was Inserted that head-teachers and the Board might have means of knowing what work pupil-teachers enter upon outside that required by the Board's regulations. The log book ts intended to show: 1. The work done dally in the school. 2. Tne work done outside the school, under private tutors, at lecnical classes, and at the University. W .^^erald} 1 - During a discussion of a conversational character it was decided to defer consideration of the corporal punishment suggestions pending discussion of a motion already tabled. The suggestions as to pupil • teachers' examinations were disposed of by the carrying of the following motion, moved by the Hon. J. MacGrkoor and seconded by Mr Clare :—" That the examination of fourth class pupil-teachers for this year be dispensed with, and that such pupil-teachers be examined aa third cUasJpupil-teachers in July, 1898." The Board .went into committee to discuss the question of the log book, and it was decided that the matter should stand over until next meeting. SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS. The Secretary explained that at Island Cliff the election was declared informal owing to the election of a Mrs Dobson, whose husband resides in the district, and that a new election had been held at which Mis Djb3on was again elected.—The Chairman said he had heard that Mrs Dobson was the owner of the premises, her husband being merely a tenant at will. —Mr Fraser understood that where husband and wife were both qualified either could act.—The Chairman said that that was not the case. The wife could act only if the husband was absent from the colony.—The Secretary read the section of the statute bearing on the point, showing that in the absence from the colony of the husband the guardian can act.—Mr Fraser thought that the wife was qualified under the previous section.—Mr Gallaway said it was a pure question of law.—Mr Fraser :We got the opinion of three lawyers the last time.—Mr Gallaway : Which is of no value whatever unless given in a professional way. The short point is : Can a married woman who lives with her husband be deemed a householder under the Act.—Mr Fraser moved that the election be upheld.—Tho Hon. J. MacGreooß thought that as no objection was taken the Board ought not to interfere. They should not go on perpetuating troubles of this kind.—lt was resolved that the letter be received. Mr A. Gilmore wrote protesting against the Palsnerston election on the following grounds : 1. The election wa3 entirely contrary to the Act or any portion of the Act. 2. That the votics papers were handed round by candidates and others. 3. That several voted that had uo right, as they had no qualification, being neither householders nor parents of children, or guardians of children, 4. That at least one man received a voting paper and scratched it, handed the paper to the chairman, and received a second voting paper, which he also scratched, and it was also put into the box. 5. That at least a third of the voting papers were collected in a hat. 6. The ballot box was not locked. 7. All the above allegations cau be substantiated by ample proof if the Board so require. 8. As some members of the Board are sworn J. P.s and to uphold the law, have they done so ? Is such an. oath a farce' a What hopo has the Board of the pupils of the Palnierstou School, or any school in Otngo, of ever being good citizens, aud to hold the law in respect, when the Education Board utterly ignores the Education Act, and, as it were, tramples it under their feet. 10. Permit me to add, example is better than precept. The Hon. J. MacGregor said that this matter was considered and settled at last meeting, and there was nothing in Mr Gilmore'a letter to justify the Board in rescinding that decision. There might have been iiregularities at the election, but if that was sufficient to cause an election to be set aside, hardly an diction in the district would stand. The Board had laid down the principle of not interfering unless it were shown that the irregularities affected the result, and they should stick to that principle. Resoived to simply receive the letter. . A protest against the Cambrians election, alleging irregularities in the conduct of the meeting, led to a resokt ; on upholding the election. SCHOLARSHIP REG ULATIO'S. On the motion of the Hon. J MacGregor it was resolved to amend Regulation 4, making it read thus (the added words are in italics): -" Successful junior scholarship competitors, and competitors ivho have attained not less than 50 per cent, of the total nitmber of marks attuinable from schools having not more than two certi Seated teachers, shall be allowed two years at a high or a district school before they need compete for senior scholarships." NOTICES OF MOTIOS. The three notices of motion, with respect to salaries of teachers, the abolition of bonuses, and corporal punishment, . were ordered to stand over to next meeting, Mr Fraser protesting that they ought to be made the business of a special meeting.