OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Evening Star, Issue 14187, 12 October 1909, Page 6

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

. - A YEAR'S WORK. EDUCATIONAITDEPARTMENrS • REPORTS. [From. Our Parimmkniary Reporter.] WELLIiGTOJT, October 12, The Horn G. Fowlds, Minister of Education, this afternoon presented the Education Department's'annual' report for last year. •■.-,? ' The subject of primary education was dealt with at length,'and a good deal of interesting statistical matter supplied. ;The number of public schools open at the end of the year was 1,998, an increase of 35 over the previous year, and the number of new schools opened was 95, while 60 were closed. Auckland headed the. list.'of districts in which new schools were opened with a total of 26, Marlborough being next with 12. The average number of New Zealand children attending school at the end of the year was 147,428, as against 141,071 for the previous year. A.high standard of regularity of attendance (81.7 pt-r cent.) was reached, Otago standing highest with 89.'2 per cent., and Wellington next with 88.1 per cent. Attention is called to the fact that .some parents make a practice of keeping their cliildren from school one day per week, the law inflicting no penalty," and' it may be expedient, in the interests of the children of the State : to provide that every child must attend school whenever it i*s open unless some reaso?iable ground for exemption car. be shown. For every 100 boys on the rolls there are 91 girls. Of the children in the public schools 52.8 per cent, are under ten and 47.2 are over that age. This is partly to be accounted for by the larger number entering the secondary school. There was a marked improvement in the number of children gaining certificates of proficiency, 60 that the raising of the standard has not apparently had any illeffect. The average age for the Dominion of pupils in the Sixth Standard was fourteen years, and it may be worthy of serious consideration whether this age is not too high for the moderate standard of attainment reached by pupils. STAFFING OF SCHOOLS.

The number of teachers in public schools, exclusive of those employed in secondary departments of district* high schools, totals 3,989. There were 1,492 male teachers and 2.497 female teachers. The total amount paid to teachers and pnpil teachers in salaries and allowances was £503,362, the average rate per teacher (including pupil teachers) being £126. In regard to training colleges for teachers, it is stated that there may be a necessity for defining the courses still further, as there seems to be a desire to evade the study of natural science, without which noteacher can be said to be properly equipped for his work. The two years period of training should not be shortened, except in the case of those who have already graduated at the University.

In the Training College at Wellington there are 78 students, at Dunedin 76, Christchureh 72, and Auckland 48. The amount paid during the year for the training of teachers was £40*968. PUBLIC SCHOOLS CADETS* Oil March 31 there were 185 cadet companies, 111 detachments, and 14 sections, with a total strength of 14,686 members. Companies in the North and South Islands respectively, exclusive of those attached to district high schools, competed for two challenge shields presented by the Government. "The North Island shield was won by Dannevirke (Hawke's Bay), with a score of 798 out ofia possible 840, and the South Island shield was won by the North-east Valley No, 1 Company with a scorn of 724. The expenditure for the year was £5,613, including the commanding officer's salary (£517) and his travelling expenses (£263). EDUCATION BOARD FINANCE. In the mailer of education boards' finance it is pointed out that on the face of figures available £94,954 should be available for the maintenance and rebuilding of schools. As the actual cost of maintenance and repairs has already been charged to the fund, it may be said that this net balance should be' available for rebuilding worn-out' schools and for replacing worn-out- furniture fittings. ' But the combined building account "shows a net balance of only £57.000, and this includes a trust fund of £19.000 intended as part of the cost of the. Auckland Technical School. On the most liberal interpretation of facts, the amount diverted from the proper purpos? of the maintenance grants for which they arc voted by Parliament and distributed by tho department is not less that £41.000* It is clear that (he department cannot be asked to pay a second time moneys already given for rebuilding, and the only way for the boards to sot the matter right is to use the balances in hand on the genera) account. These remarks do not apply to all boards. HIGHER. EDUCATION. Including the training colleges, and counting tho professional schools as distinct from the affiliated institutions, there are in New Zealand fourteen public, institutions for higher or professional education. In addition there are others privately endowed. At the four colleges of the University there were last year 1,493 students attending lectures—namely, 888 men and 605 women. Of these 1.16*2 were matriculated students, graduates, or undergraduates, and the rest were unmatricukted.

FREE SCHOOL BOOKS. Last .session an item of £3,500 was included in the vote for olementarv education to provide free text-books" for the pupils of the preparatory classes and the classes of Standards 1. and 11. in th« public schools. ''Dm rate of payment to the boards, based on the number on the roll at the end of 1908, is 6(1 for each child in the preparatory classes, Is 3d for each child in Standard 1., and Is 6d per head in Standard 11. As the grants did not begin until the Ist January. 1909, the matter is not strictly one for "the present report, but it may be interesting to note that now (August) all the boards have accepted the conditions of the giants. The alternative proposed—the adoption of a uniform series of reading hooks—was strongly condemned by nearly all the experts consulted as tending to a cast-iron uniformity of method. If such a series moreover, were to be published in the Dominion the expense of publication would be out of all proportion to the benefits sought to be gained if the quality of the books bore any Gort of comparison with that of corresponding books produced by leading firms in Groat '"Britain ; and the cost of renewal from time to time'to the contents tip to date would be almost prohibitive.