EDUCATION IN TARANAKI

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 20 September 1928, Page 2

EDUCATION IN TARANAKI

MEETING OF THE BO ARD. There were -present at the monthly meeting of the Taranaki Education Board in New Plymouth yesterday: Air S. G. -Smith (chairman), the Rev. Ca-non, J. L. A. Kyall, and Messrs P. J. H. White, A. Lees, W. H. Jones, H. Dempsey. Leave of absence was granted Messrs H. J. Eaves and F. H. Sims. AGRICULTURAL. WORK. The agricultural instructor (Mr R. G. Kadling) reported tudt visits to primary soiioojjs were continued, and everywhere tine seasonal worn - seemed to 1 ne well m hand -and satisfactory progress was reported. Generally, tne met-iiods of teacnuig were quite up-to-nate and a keeii' anteuest' Was manifested by tne pupils in' the' work. \Lhei-e was no senooi where some' effort. Uad not been made to improve the environment, and though the grounus of many were not very suitable the ibest was being made of t-he conditions. A large scheme oi unpro-vemelDi' was proposed- for tne 11-ii-wmtiroa school, hut it was questionable whether it would be cheaper to provide a hew site for .to improve” the present one.

' i’Jie -work of planting further areas with forest trees had been undertaken in many schools and was 'proceeding. At Manaia, Where there was no further land available, the pupils Had commenced planting the recreation ground. This was a feature of school forestry work that it was desirable to ericoura°ln 'the 'boys’- and girls’, agricultural clubs entries for the coming competitions were being freely received, and it was pleasing to note that the work .was being further extended.

In district high schools term examinations (showed that the work was proceeding satisfactorily. The work in some of the schools did not yet exhibit that care and accuracy that was essential in scientific training. " The architect (Mr Cl. H. Moore) reported that the new combined Opunake Hmgb School" and domestic science buildings were well on towards completion. When the larger of the two movable classrooms was vacant it would be removed down to the new site for a woodwork building.

Regarding the Stratford infants' school it was poinioed oilt that plans were' 1 prepared and application was made to the department -in August. The proposed Trimble library -building was estimated to cost £9OO and not £/00, as stated by the department in the course of its reply to the Stratford Technical High School Board! '' , It was • expected that the detachetl open-air room at Rahotu would be started within a fortnight. The prcposed additions at Manaia were held over ‘’pending a decision regarding increased accommodation. Mr N. R. McKenzie (senior inspector) explained that for the purposes of appointments next year the department proposed to divide probationers into four oroups-—‘A, tiliu>so wlho ihsadi obtaaiied a full pass’ in the D examination, or a higher leaving certificate; B, those who hacl a partial pass in the D examinat.ion • O, mialbrdcTila/ted students; land those who had obtained a-pass m a mroup of the D examination. Boards would first appoint all the class A candidates in the district in which they lived, even though the number exceeded the A candidates in the Dominion would receive appointments before the other groups; If the number of B candidates' in ahy district was insufficient, the board would appoint some of the surplus candidh.es from other districts. Should vacancies still exist, (group Cl candidates would be appointed. It was not anticipatedtlie D group would be Wanted at all. If P ro “ batiioner® were appointed\ away ±roin their home district they would he paid boat-ding allowances. ' ' The architect will i-eport on the ques tion of remodelling and providing out that k Ornate there were 78 pupils and two teaeheis in a room measuring 575 square feet, and that the floor space at 0» Jg® 9&4 square feet, the roll being 30.—The architect was instructed to repdrt on a suggested exchange of .portable rooms between tlie twoj places. It was (decided to apply to the department for a grant for a new room at Normanby, tlie senior inspector having reported that conditions there were bad. There was a headmaster, three assistants and a probationer, and this wias a school where the policy should he followed of providing a room for each teacher.

A grant w ill be applied for to erect an additional room in concrete at Manaiia. The following resignations from teachers were accepted: Miss C. A. McRae, assistant, Otakeho; Miss I/. M. ParrottJ asistan'fc, ElLtham; J. Fitzgerald, sole teacher, 1 Makaka. ' The appointments of Mass M. B. Kilpatrick as -temporary assistant at Awaki.no, of Miss V. North as temporary assistant at Te Ro'ti were confirmed. The position of head teadher at Oaonui is to be re-advertised. The department notified that next year ten studen'hs would go to Wellington and ten to the Christchurch Training College. The department wrote approving grants for furniture for the special class at Hlawera, a septic tank and conveniences at Malice, and at Kapuni. ■Mr Ridling reported that domestic science was carried on satisfactorily in all centres. _ In woodwork Stratford and Elthiam (Centres were (interfered with by the illness of the instructor. The organisation of the classes had been interfered with by the change of the railway time-taible. Normanby, Norfolk and Taiiki were affected and an effect whs being made to arrange suitable conveyance sc that the work could proOii the recommendation of the finance committee a subsidy will be applied for Hiawera of £6 2s 9d. The South Taranaki School Committees’ Association forwarded .resolutions,

advocating wider discretionary powers in the appointment of ‘teachers, with, a view to reducing the size and number of classes, that book-keeping should be made a compulsory subject in standards 6 and 7, as proposed in the new syllabus, and protesting against the refusal to appoint probationers where boarding allowance was necessary. These questions will be discussed at a special meeting of the board to be held on Monday,' October 1, called to discuss post primary education and the stabilis-ation-of staffs.