EDUCATION BOARD.

Gisborne Times, Volume LIX, Issue 9573, 26 July 1923, Page 3

EDUCATION BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING, The monthly meeting of the Hawkos B ay Education Board was held at Napier 011 Thursday, there being present: Messrs G. E. Roach (cha.nuavi), J. R. Kirk, R. Soundy, G. Venables, O. King, G. Crawshaw, J. CliwkThcmpson and R. Cuthbcrtson. 'Mjatters of local interest were dealt with as follows:—- - Waii’OL'.—Asking for erect’,on of wash-basins for secondary ’ department.—Granted.

Wairoa —Asking for gravel or shingio round secondary buildings—Granted. Asking for dividing fence to separate secondary buddings from horse paddock.—Re-arrangement of fences to be suggested. Mangapapa—Stating that committee has granted permission to 1.0.0. E. to hold meetings ill schoolroom; Lodge desired to iiistal at its own expense three points hjf electric light, and is prepared to pay any extra insurance; asking Board to favorably consider proposition. Permission granted ; no damage to be done, and meetings to be bold only on Friday nigiits. Kaiteratahi. —Renewing application for shelter-sheds.—Board decided to snp-ply timber to value of £35 if committee will erect shed. Asking for certain repairs and drain. —Agreed to. M.?tkauri—Stating that owner of land leased for horse paddock is offering the land for private sale.—Referred to secretary and architect. Kiiiti—Subsidy for drainage of school grounds.—Granted. Wairoa—-Asking for installation of electric' power in school for heating purposes.—Referred to architect. 4 the Department wrote ro tho Board’s application fur rent of room at Waercnga-o-kuri for school purposes, stating that tint Department would prefer to provide a school either by improving present building or, if ibis is not practicable, by providing a small new building. Application to be made for new building The. Department, in a letter, staled that it was considering the advisability of conducting examinations for handicraft teachers, n.nd asking for suggestions.—Referred to chief inspector.

The Health Officer, Napier, wrote stating that he. had inspected the school residence at Muriwai and found it to he in a bad state of repair, giving the Board notice that the house cannot be occupied until the necessary sanitary repairs have been carried out.—Referred to Department. The Gisborne Chamber of Commerce wrote suggesting that the Board bold at least two meetings a. year at Gisborne.—Referred to Gisborne and Northern Ward members for consideration. The Wellington Education Board asked the Board to recommend to the. Department that salaries of teachers resigning at close of year lie paid to January 31. and not beyond that, to obviate difficulties of book-keeping.— Agreed to. The Department stated that it cannot suggest from what fund ti.e Board should contribute towards cost of extension of site, Te Karaka. — File to be referred to Mr W. D. Lysnar, M.P. The Department wrote deferring applications for grant for extension of s.te, Bulm, file price asked being in its opinion excessive.-—Decided to recommend that land be taken under Public Works Act. It was also agreed to make question of .extensions at Puha. a matter of urgency.

Messrs Wildish, Kirk and C-raw-shaw reported ro extension of school site. Awapuni, and it was decided to make offer and failing acceptance to take land under the Babble Works Act. It was decided to extend for twelve months Mr C. E. Stewart’s lease of section 7A, Block NIX. Nuhaka N. Special leave was granted to Mr C. Southey, of Ormond, for one week. The School Committee applied for an assistant at Matakaoa. —Referred to secretary and chief inspector. The senior inspector recommended a. new school buiiding at Waimata Valley.— Referred to school committee a- to site. Mr W. CL Morrison, Supervisor of Agr multure, reported an follows on the work for the month Visits to Schools.—During the mouth of June, ] visited tho fallowing scluibls: Clive. Hastings West, Mohalfa, Wairoa, Nuhaka, Putovino, Pukalni, Via ngucro feme, Pnkowlnu, Clive Grange, Tnrndaie, YTarnetotarri, Beta tie, Menace, Paid Paki, Ngatarawa. Marnetotarn, Mahnra, Wallace's Grossing, Wests bore, J Listings .Main. These visits were paid for the purpose of inquiring; into the teaching of Nature study, science and gardening. I found most of the schools I visited that the science apparatus supplied by the Board was being used to good purposes, and the pupils were benefiting thereby. It must not be thought, however, *that science is being taught on right lines in all the schools of Hawke’s Bay, for there are a few who still persist in teaching science in the old way, i.e., by blackboard or dictated notes, in place of the modern and sensible way (perhaps a little more trouble) of working simple and suitable experiments. The “deadness” of pupils taught by the former method is apparent as soon as one begins questioning, whereas the alertness of those taught by observation and experiment gives one a feeling immediately that the work is being done conscientiously and satisfactorily.

Refresher Course at Gisborne.—So far 21 teachers in the Gisborne distinct have intimated that they wish to attend the proposed refresher course which the Board wishes to conduct during portion of the September vacation. There are quite a number of others teaching in tho schools of Poverty Bay district whose work in school science certainly shows that a refresher course would ho of immense value, not only from a teaching point of view but also lrom that of further knowledge. However, teachers who do not wish to spend holidays in obtaining further knowledge in methods which tend to make them more efficient as teachers cannot bo forced to attend such schools. If the Department approves, of the class, there is no reason why it should not ho one of the most successful refresher courses held.