EDUCATION BOARD.

Evening Star, Volume 12869, Issue 12869, 19 July 1906, Page 6

EDUCATION BOARD.

The meeting of the Otago Education Board was resumed this morning; present —Mr Donald Borrie (chairman), the Hon. T. Fergus, Mr T. Mackenzie, M.H.R., Mr J. Mitchell, Mr W. Nicolson, and Mr A. M'Kexrow. * —Resignations.— Tbe following . resignations were accepted :—John Robertson, head teacher, Ngapara; Agnes Anderson, head teacher, Kuri Bush; Emma 0. Tempero, mistress, Duntroon; Janet L. Crawley, mistress, Portobello; Charles Young, first assistant. Cavonsham; Walter B. Graham, first assistant, Forbury; ■ Horace R-. Fisher, first assistant, Oamaru Middle, —Appointments.— The following appointments were eonfirmed:—Ernest Marryatt,. head teacher, Henley, vice R. Fergus, promoted; Janet Lindsay, head teacher, Moonlight, vice J. Sarjpxm, transferred; Agnes Anderson, head teacher, Kaihiku, vice Janet Grigor. transferred; Jane C Duncan, head teacher. Merino Downs, vice Flora Hopcraft, transferred; Betsy H. Smith, head teacher, Stoneburn, vice Jessie Cameron, left the service; Emma C. Tempero* mistress, Clinton, vice Rosetta King, left the service; Ella B. Hutton, mistress, Moeraki, vice Kate Andrews, promoted; John Robertson, first assistant., Kaikorai, vice J A. Fitzgerald, promoted; Janet L. Crawley, first assistant, Albany street, vice Janetta Alexander, left the service. —The Examinations.— Mr R. G. Whetter wrote • " 1 have been instructed by the head-masters of the Dnjiedin and suburban schools to forward to your Board the following resolutions passed at a meeting held by them on the 17th: .(1) That in the opinion of this meeting of head-masters of -the Danedin and suburban schools it is undesirable in the interest of the organisation of their schools that Standard VT. should be examined at the close of the year whilst the other standards are examined at an earlier date. (2) In the oninion of tie head-masters of tbe Dunedin and suburban schools it is advisable to have thij standard examinations in Dunedin and suburbs conducted and promotions made about the end of tbe year, provided the ago limit for free places *n secondare schools and district high schools is abolished. (3) That it is the unanimous opinion of this meeting that the aire limit for free places in secondary schools for those who. have obtained a. certificate of proficiencv shonld be abolished."—Tbe letter was referred to the inspectors for report. —Training Colleire Expenses.— ' A letter was received from tbe department stating that it was presumed that tbe incidental expenses in connection with the Training ObTJecre would be met out of the allowances paid per pupil on the attend ance at tbe Practising and Model School in connection wiiih the inrtitution. The department did not. see thai- the expense of enrrvTO" on and providing: fuel, cleaning, stationery, etc., to tbe Training College should be included in the cha.rge against tbe Government The following reply was ordered to be sent: —" T have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your memorandum of June 26, in whiteb, adverting to paymentis on account of tbe Training Coll ego, you say that 'it is presumed that all incidental expenses eoTmeefced with the Training College can be paid out' of the capitation grant of 125s (lis 3d and 9d) paid on the average attendance at the Normal and Model Schools, which amounts to upwards of £260 per ar.num.' I am. directed to repßy that the Board cannot sanction tbe unsound principle which you seek to lay down. Tbe capitation earned by the Normal and Model Schools, the Board contend, must be treaied as forming a part of the Boards incidental fund, out of which all costs of administration, and inspection, the allowances of committees, etc, must be paid. Any pro rata surplus which may accrue from the earnings of the Normal" and Model Schools, as in the case of all the large schools, must necessarily be applied to meeting the needs of the' small sebools that are unable to earn sufficient <rran.ts for their own sustenance. The "Normal and Model Schools are essentially primary schools belonging to the education district of Otago, and cannot rightly be treated otherwise. To treat them as apart from the primary system would entail the diversion of a material part- of the general primary school fund, to tbe detriment of the system in those districts wherein training corteges are located. The Board respectfully point out that the training colleges are in reality educational institutions, masntarned for the general benefit of the colony, and not for the special advantage of any one educaUon district. It would therefore lie manifestly unfair to saddle upon individual boards the cost, of their upkeep simply hpcause of the accident of location.' A 1! the Board ask shouid be pad by the department rn respect to the Trafning College is a reasonable proportionate amount of the cost of the institution. lam instructed to say that tbe Board trw-t that, upon further consideration of the facts, the Minister will admit the of their claim * —Scholarships.—

Mr Mitchell presented the report of the Scholarships Committee. It begins thus : "Your Committee have the honor to report that, having considered the whole question of scholarship, they recommend that as a further test of the advantages claimed for a colonial examination may be desirable before coming to a final verdict upon the subject, the system be given another .trial, and that the Board therefore notify the department of their assent to a central examination this year. At the same time it-should bo impressed upon the department that it is imperatively necessary that the results should be made known much earlier in the year, in order to avoid a recurrence of the inconvenience and trouble caused on the pravious occasion." The Board also agreed to raise the amount payable to junior and senior scholarholders residing at home to £lO. the maximum permitted under the Government regulations determining the free places in secondary schools. The report was adopted. —General.—

Accounts anKHHsting to £7,917 10s 8d wesre passed for payment. Correspondence about the heating of the. Kaitangata School was referred to the Committee for their information and in order to give them an opportunity to make any comment. —Bestirhig Rooms in Schools.— Mr Mackenzie moved—"Thai this Board, rea&smg how essential it is to the health of chHcfcren that conveniences for changing their wet clothes should he available, and also in the interests of the more regular attendance at our schools, recommend the Minister of Kdrrcaticn to place a sum on the Estimates' sufficient for providing comfortable and convenient retiring rooms to which the children may go for tike purpose of changm*; their damp Itoots and apparel." Mr Mitchell seconded, and the motion was adopted. —Free. Places.— Mr Mackenzie further moved—- With respect to free places in socondaiy schools, the following be recommended to the Minister of Education for his adoption : —(a) That the age limit for free places be abolished, or (b), in the event of this not being adopted, that a pupiil shall be qualified to be a holder of a free place ■who, being not over fifteen years of age, if resident- elsewhere on the 31st day of December preceding the date of hie admission to a secondary school, has obtained a certificate of proficiency as defined by regulation wader the prindptj Act."—The motion was carried. —Country Teachers^— Mir Mackenzie moved—"Whereas the methods obtairmg for securing appoint-' meats to city and suburban •schools place country teachers •' (equally qualified with metropolitan) at a great "disadvantage, and whereas, should the law remain unamended, the practice may seriously affect the progress of country schools, by hindering capable teachers from hazarding a term in the country lest that should mflitat© against their professional future, thifc Board therefore are of opinion that thij should be changed, and that preference should be given when fining such vacancies to those teachers who, being equally qualified, have taJceo tluoir siHB» ia lie work .of education.

in the back country." 'Themover said? I realise, in moving this motion, thai-it but touches the margin of tiie large question of classfioation and promotion. Our present methods are most •unsatisfactory.' -Very often the pulling of strings has more to do with securing promotion and appointments than merit and service. We hope to obtain from the teachers themselves Gome workable guide on wliich to evolve a satisfactory system. Closer grading oischode and teachers is required, and the opportunity, over the heads of all others, oi first assistants being appointed in largfl oity schools to the head-masterships of such schools should become impossible. Whoever heard of the chief officers in the Union Company's finest steamers becoming captains right off of the grandest, boats? They have to begin.their command on tlie humbler boats. In like manner is promotion carried on in banks andlargemercantile bosintsses. Theyoungei men must take their share in country work, and give those teachers who have done so an opportunity"of coming into the work up at the university or help their families along. Unless this be done, good teachers will go to the cbuntiy at ail. We had a protest yesterday from one of our highest certificated teacheis, which I -wished taken in open Board. If reasonable reform takes place, we. will not receive such protests in future. The interests .not only of the teachers is involved, but the larger one of the education of our children in the country distrieta What do we see occurring now? We see the pernicious influence it is having on teachers applying for country schools. There were cases yesterday of good schools in the country for which not one application was made; whereas, take the Porbnry and Caversham first assistants' vacancies*—some nineteen or twenty applications were in for each. How are the country schools going to be supplied if tlias goes on, and what is going to become of the children? It is because of these and other masters thai I am moving to protect the country interests through the Country School Committees' Association. The Chairman seconded. Mr Mitchell said that h© was in sympathy with the motion, but thought the question should be allowed to rest until the new Board came in as it would not be much to the advantage of the object to be dealt with by a moribund Board. He thought, moreover, that it would be well to go further than Mr Mackenzie proposed. The whole system of appointments required looking into, and if he were honored by being returned' he would support or propose a resolution embodying a proper principle of promotion. Mr Nioolson supported the motion. With a new Minister of Education the staffing might lie altogether different, and then teachers, like members of. the railway service, would perhaps know exactly what positions they were entitled to step into. Mr M*Kerrow was in favor of the motion, and could not agree, with Mr Mitchell".* proposal to delay the matter. Mr Mitchell: I don't, want to delay it. All I say is that we cannot bind the "new Board. The Hon. T. Fergus said that, he woold support, the motion 5 it read that all tilings being equal tbe Board should give preference, etc. Tbe Chairman gave bis reasons for seconding the motion. It would be well if young teachers who went into country schools knew they had a gooi chance of promotion to school! nearer the centres. Teachere often started without , very high certificates, and tbe> should have opportunities of attending University classes and getting higher certificates. Unless inducements of that soil were offered the Board would only hav< second and third-rate teachers applying fbi tbe countjy schools. Mr Mitchell: Fourth rate, -or no rate. The Chairman mentioned that for one o; the best of the country schools tbe advertisement for a mistress at £95 a veai brought only one applicant Teacher* should have some assurance that wben they went into the back settlements tbey would not be for ever buried there. On the point of delay, he did not agree with Mt Mitchell. For one reason, Mr Mackenzie brought forward his motion for a mouth ago, but had not been able to attend then, and perhaps lie would not be present at next meeting. - - (Roars of laughter.) He did not mean that Mr Mackenzie was going to be rejected at the elections. The risk was thai he might be away at Parliament. The motion was carried.

—Farewell Speeches.— The Crjairman said that as this was the last meeting of the present. Board, he dosired to thank members for the very kind way they had treated liim during his occupation of the chair.

The Hon. 'J'. Fergus said that before tihc curtain, was rung down he would like to pro. pose ;i. vote of thanks to the chairman for his able and wi*e conduct, during <he term now expiring. He would also take the opportunity of alluding briefly to one or two burning questions with the Board. The lirst was this: Of recent years ft. had been the policy of the department to curtail the functions of the Boards as much as possible, in the olden day;; when "application was made for a grant for establishing a new suhooL, or for enlarging or improving a school, a certain sum was allotted, and it was left to the Board to .spend this money to the best, advantage. Th.it power had been for some, time taken away from the Board. Each application had to be sent. to Wellington, and means were sometimes adopted to defeat what fine Board considered just claims. The converse of this was also true in other eases. This was wrong. The Board knew the circumstances of each application, ant] could spend the moneys to the best advantage Again, the Board were badly handicapped as to "the conveyance of 'children to schools in the country. There wore roads and roads—some as smooth aa the streets in Dunedin. others so rough as to be impassable to a bullock druy—yet the Board were limited to so much per rnilo and the allowance was absurdly inadequate. Moreover, the small allowance "for the maintenance of schools bad to be trenched on for the support of the Training College, which would run a.way with 10 per cent, cf the total. This was scandalous when the Board had poles of sound applications that had to be refused for want of funds. Mr Mackenzie seconded the motion with great pleasure. He could not recollect a single disturbance at the Board's table einoa Mr Borrie was made chairman. As to the Boaad's troubles:. Mr Fergus's narration called to Irs (Mr Mackenzie's) mind many scenes at Wellington in which he took *i part whilst fighting for the rights of the boards. And there was this danger ahead : th'<et they load lost a strong Minister n? Education, and if a weak Minister came in to hold his place against the departmental head there would soon not be a right hh to the boards unless they asserted themselves very strongly. Real merit did not, determine such a, question as the erection of a school. A Government supported, if sufficiently humble, could get in his claim m spite of any board, and the Board did not even get the first infoimatkra afcout it. He (Mr Mackenzie) agreed that the boards shouM he trusted to spend their allowances. Ma- Mitchell beartUy coneirrred with what bad ben swd. The Board would need to watch closely the administration of the department so as to guard the privileges of the people, which were in imminent, danger. The motion was supported by Mr Nicolson and Mr M'Kerrow, and carried amid?t applause. The Chairman briefly returned thanks, and . ' The Bwird roee at 12.30.