H.B. Education Board.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 238, 22 December 1888, Page 3

H.B. Education Board.

The Hawke’s Bay Education Board met on Tuesday last. The following business of interest to this district was transacted :— CORRESPONDENCE. From Gisborne stating that the Committee had extended the midsummer holidays for a week, as the children had only a week at the winter vacation.—Mr Ormond said it seemed that the committees were altering the holidays all over the district. There was great laxity in this respect.—Mr Sidey said it was obvious that there was great irregularity, and it should be put a stop to if possible.—Mr Ormond read the regulation on the subject, which said that the committees could arrange the holidays to suit the special circumstances of their respective districts, but on no account should there be an extension unless the Board was asked and approved of it.—After a little further discussion it was decided to draft a regulation on the subject at a future date.— Approved. From same asking that Miss Nellie Steele be appointed pupil teacher.—Granted. From same asking for £5 to distemper the walls of one of the rooms.—Committee to do the work at its own expense.

From same asking that Miss Mary Baker and Master John Trimmer might be retained as pupil teachers for another year.—Approved. The same Committee asked that the sewing competition might be judged by a committee of ladies residing in that district.—Captain Mussel! said he intended discontinuing the prizes he had given hitherto, as there was no competition.—Committee to be appointed. From same, asking for permission to hire a building for teaching the Sixth and Seventh Standards. The funds could be got flora the surplus belonging to the locil high school.—• The Inspector said the suggestion did not mean putting the Board to any expense.— The Chairman said it would take away the headmaster’s supervision from the main school.—Mr Baker said a Sunday school was bring erected opposite the school, which would be suitable.—Board wished to know

where room to be hired was, and if a suggestion of the Inspector that a building that had been removed could be utilised.

From Ormoud, recommending Mr Shaw as pupil teacher.—Approved. From Patutahi, recommending Master D. Watt as pupil teacher.—Approved. From Makauri, forwarding a plan of a school site which Captain Tucker was willing to convey to the Board.—Site accepted, and grant of £BO for repairs to be at once available.

From Maraetaha, asking for a gratuity to the sewing mistress. To be dealt with. From same, asking for a farther grant for repairs,—No further grant. INSPECTOR'S REPORT. The number of candidates presented for the first part of the examination were Standard V. 225, Standard VI. 148, but in the final examination 23 of these were absent, and under the Department regulations they count as failures, although their qualifications might be such as to qualify them for a pass. The passes are Standard V. 189, StanVI. 129, or, according to per centage, 74 and 88 per cent respectively of the presentations in each Standard.

It is pleasing to report the continued improvement of the work done by the nnpils in these advanced Standards. Both In style and in general correctness the improvement on the majority of papers sent in is most marked, and in many instances the paper work is of a high order of merit, and gives evidence of careful training on the part of the teachers. In Standard VI. the competition for scholarships is growing stronger each year, and some of tbe ,maller schools occupy a high position in the class lists. A pupil from the small school at Te Arai stands 11th on the list this year, and 4th in order of merit among the schools, whilst a pupil from the still smaller school at Frasertown stands 26th on the list, and seventh in the order of merit among the schools. Thia, to me, is a very encouraging feature in the school work at the present time, for it shows under good and efficient teachers our small schools can hold their own in competition with the larger schools, although the latter have many special advantages over the former in the matter of preparation. For honors in Standard VI; Mary Magill, of the Napier main school, heads the list, beating Adolph Sootter, of the Gisborne echool, by two marks only. Harriet Burdett, Waipawa, stands third in order of tnerit with one mark ahead of Lily Witty. In Standard V., H. Thompson, of the Gisborne school, heads the obtained the phenomenal mark of “ Excellent ” in each of the pass subjects. This is the first time that such a position has been won by any pupil in my district, and I hope the Board wifi mark their appreciation of the boy’s work In some way. The Board is aware that under the regulations scholarships are awarded on the result of the final examination for Standard VI. The number of scholarships whioh may at any time be granted, depend on the average attendance at the Board schools, -and as it continues to increase at a rapid rate, the Board is able to grant a large number of scholarships each i year. At the close of this mouth thirteen i scholarships will expire, and six Will remain i current for another year. The Board’s I liability bh aacodnt bl th« latte* is tOQ,

(whilst the sum available for scholarships 1 estimate at £350 for the coming year. This will allow new scholarships being granted to the value of £290, or twenty-nine pupils at £lO each, but Rule 2 of the scholarship regulations says “ that an additional grant will be paid to the successful candidates who are compelled to reside away from their homes.” Coming now to the scholarship list, I find that Annie Cowell, Haery Harker, George McVay, and Maud Charlton, of the Napier school; Mary Scott of Gisborne, and Laura Hall of Gisborne, ail of whom stand well on the list, are excluded from competition for a scholarship, being over “school age,” as defined by the Education Act. John Kerr, of Napier, who stands fourteenth on the list, is excluded under regulation four ; and Lizzie Reed, also of Napier, and who stands sixth on the list, cannot accept a scholarship, having been recommended by the Napier Commitee for appointment as a pupil teacher.

I beg now to make the following recommendations :—That a scholarship of the annual value of ten pounds, and tenable for two years be granted to— Mary Magill, Napier Adolph Scotter, Gisborne Harriett Burdett, Waipawa Edward Thomson, Gisborne Minnie King, Te Arai Winnie Hill, Napier Mary Montgomery, Napier David Watt, Gisborne Also a scholarship of the value of ten pounds, and tenable for one year, be granted to — Ada Cannon, Gisborne Alexandrina Stevens, Hastings Wellwood Reeves, Gisborne Mabel Tucker, Gisborne Eva DeLautour, Gisborne Robert Carswell, Frasertown Kate Isaacs, Napier Kate Drummond, Gisborne Ellen Anderson, Norsewood Subject to the conditions in the Board’s scholarship regulations being duly satisfied. The Board directed the preparation of a regulation under which scholarships could be renewable on certain results being attained.

[The above report has been compared with that appearing in the Napier papers, and it coincides in every way, excepting that one makes Ada Cannon’s name Ada Gannon, and another Ada Gowan ; but there appears to be a jumble with regard to the Gisborne candidates, and time would not permit of getting another copy of the Inspector’s report telegraphed up last night. The more the report, as printed, is studied, the more confusing it becomes. Lily Witty’s name is mentioned in the first place, but is ignored in the list; Master Me Ara whose name we had expected, is not mentioned at all. Mary Magill, we notice by the Napier papers, is a mistake for Annie Magill, aged 12 years 4 months. We publish the report as received, and for the present leave it te the intelligence of our readers—if they can make it out, that is more than we can.—Ed. Standard.]