EDUCATION BOARD

Lake County Press, Issue 981, 26 September 1901, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARD

The following business was transacted a the last meeting of the Otago Edncatioi Board :

The Oauiaru Middle District Committee forwarded a recommendation that the lire brigade be made an allowance for extinguishing the fire at the school.—The Board had no power to adopt the recommendation. The Mosgiel and Hampden Committees forwarded replies concerning the number of pup ’s who would attend a district high school.—The information will be forwarded to the Minister.

A telegram was received from the Education Department, Wellington, staling that free pushes for children attending district High schools would be obtainable as soon as- the Railway Department could arrange for an alteration of its arrangements. The Education Department could not say when that would be. Members expressed their appreciation of the concession, and -aid it would double the number of pupils who would attend the district high schools.- — It was resolved that the department be asked to expedite the obtaining of the concession.

The University Council forwarded a copy of an interim report.—The Chairman and Messrs Peattie and Marshall were appointed to draw up a report. With icgard to the Cavcrshain School closets, it was resolved that the architect be asked to submit plans am! specifications for closets for the school.

Mr Stenhouse, Lawrence School, applied for additional assistance.—lt was resolved that the matter be deferred until the whole ((tiestion of district high school stalls was considered bv the Board.

A report from Mr Fitzgerald with regard to a petition for the establishment ot a school at Taipo was considered. It was finally resolved that the application for the school be declined in the meantime. The Oauiaru North School wrote pointing out that the present allowance was.not sufficient to meet expenses, that the Committee was running into debt, and requesting the Board to make the allowance adequate to the requirements. —-Mr Mitchell considered that none of the committees were in receipt of a proper amount, and

did not make ends meet. —Air Sim disagreed with this view, and if Air Mitchell came out his way he would prove it. —Air Mitchell thought that the whole question of grants wanted to be reconsidered, but agreed to the letter from the Oamaru North School being simply received. A petition for the establishment of a school at Waiepa Bush was referred to the Warepa School Committee for infotillation.

A petition, signed by twenty-four persons at Ardgowatt, was read, asking that a public school might b? erected there. This was justified bv the number of children and the distance the children’s homes were from anv other school. —The .Secretary having mentioned that the number of 'children who would attend the school would be about seventy, and Air Douglas, of Ardgowan, having been, heard in suppon of the petition, the Board decided to request the inspector to report on the application when in the district.

Air Douglas appeared before the Board in support of a petition for a school at the Avdgowan Estate .The Board intimated that they would consider the matter. The Chairman then moved—" That the Board of Education of the Province of Otago desire to express 'sincere sorrow attire death by assassination of President M'Kinley, and tender, through the American Consul, an expression of their respectful sympathy with Airs M’Kinley.”—Carried unanimously.

The Green Island Committee- submitted an account for £8 os, for repairing furniture, and asked the Board to pay it.—lt was decided to draw the attention of the Committee to regulations 49 and 51. which set- out that the Committee should first obtain the sanction of the Board before having such work done.

The Mosgiel Committee applied to the Board to provide a. concrete tank, the Committee bearing half cost. They also wrote on the subject of drainage.—lt was decided to grant half cost of providing both tank and drainage. The Railway Department wrote regarding the discontinuance of the water supply to the Palmerston School from the railway service.—lt was resolved that the Minister be requested to authorise a continuance of (he water supply to the school. TKACHKRS - SALAKIKS. The report of the Commission was considered in committee, the deliberations lasting until shortly after twelve o'clock, when the Board resumed. The Chairman moved—" That the report of the Committee of the Hoard be adopted, and that a copy be sent to all mem bet s of both Houses of Parliament.'' The report was as follows : A Certificates.—The Board emphatically protest against the recommendation of the Commission that only two grades of certificates of competency be issued by the department, and against, the proposed nonrecognition of University degrees. The Board view this last recommendation as being a retrograde step, and unworthy or a Royal Commission on Teachers’ Salaries. And the Board are of opinion that if theic is to be any reduction in the number of classes of certificates such reduction should begin at the lowest. Male and Female Teachers. —Regarding the employment of men and women teachers under the scale, the Board view with alarm the curtailment of inducements to boys and men to enter into and continue in the service. at a time when there is a marked and serious falling-oil' in the number of male teachers, who as a rule make the service a life employment, and an abundance of female teachers, the majority of whom do not continue in the service. The Board give as samples of the inducements to maie teachers to enter the profession the following instances of this tendency:—The salary of a male pupil-teacher is the same as that of a female pupil-teacher, while the applicants for such position arc in the ratio of 1 to 16; and the junior male assistant's salarv of £llO under the Board is, reduced to £BO by the scale. Further, in the ease of an assistant male teacher ot considerable length of service, the Commission's scale reduces the Board s salary trom £IBO to £130: thus further crushing the hopes lor men to enter into am! continue in lb" service. • >u this point it may he added that the scale provides that the work ol mstruei ing pupil-teachers hitherto the proper duly of (he head-master, for which bis salary is the remuneration may he imposed mi the assistant, teachers " without extra payment ' ... ;t proposal the Ruard protest against as being manifestly unjust. The Board with confidence express the opinion that the pursuance ol the policy re eonum'iided by the Commission, as lure in (United, in list i m*\ i i ;t lily lead to lUr Unumiiii.u profession being ultimately handed over to Aomen, or to Hoards being under the lie eessily of looking abroad tor a supply ql male'teachers. With salaries alike for pupilteachers, and for all po-Mimis lower than those of head-teachers and lirsi assistants, reduced below those prevailing in all other avenues of skilled employment, u cannot be hoped that boys and young men will adopt the teaching profession, especially in view ol the fact that the opportunities tor advaueemem to the higher grades of the profession are uncertain and of comparatively rare occur--IVIUT. . . He Small Schools. -Tins board protest in ihe strongest manner against the proposed payment of teachers in schools under 2UTlie Hoard's minimum m salary tor their small ■ it,classified schools is £7O. which the small (and m the Hoard's opinion inadequate)

is :it least certain. while the proposed capitation basis of £5 per pupil makes the teachers' salary as uncertain as the weather, while it mav be reduced to a vanishing points. There arc 4SO schools in tins class and 6.514- children, and the Board think ,hat, in view of the large expenditure for Inch schools and technical education at the centres of population, little or nothing ot which expenditure reaches settlers m the outlvine districts, that the treatment meted out'to the hardiest of colonists is most unir.st calculated to arrest education in connlev districts, and iiermaneiitly reduce the children of pioneer settlers to the position of the drudges of the more favored portion of the communities in and near centres of

population. [ n moving the adoption of the report and that it be sent to the Minister of Education and members of the Legislature, the Chairman said: I am within the mark when i s; ( r that everv member of the Board is strongly of opinion that the proposals of the Commission, whilst increasing very i ;ll -„ely the cost of education, are harmful to "the education of this province.- {Mr Borne: “Hear, hear. ) I believe i am safe in saying that if the Government had granted tliis Board the sum of money which this Commission propose to expend, the Board would have produced better results ami given greater satisfaction to the province” and the teaching profession in it. especially as the Board would have provided for outlying districts and been able to meet certain special cases on their merits. Mr Nicolson seconded the motion. Mr Mitchell thought it better to let the report speak for itself, without making speeches upon it. He would remark, however, that the Board ought to have figured out. whether the proposed allowance for the cost of administration by boards, committees, etc.—namely, a capitation of 11s 5d on the total average attendance—was sufficient, and he would suggest that the staff should figure it- out. The motion was put and carried without further comment.

GENERAL. The resignations accepted were of Albert H. White, head ,-kJrt. Katea, and John Reid, second assistant, Union street. 1 The appointments were as follow : —.John Reid, head teacher. Uuutroon, vice Morris, left the service; ATnert H. White, head teacher, Heriot, vice Foster, deceased; John Beattie, head teacher. Waikoikoi, vice Alaekie. promoted; George Menzies, head 1 teacher. Blacks, vice Grow, promoted: Willielmina Harlow, fifth assistant, George i street, vice Sherrill", promoted. Accounts amounting to £7.055 5s 2d were pas-ed for payment. Wairumt- having failed to elect a- Committee. Messrs J. Gormack and J. Ro\ i were, appointed commissioners. I Messrs Fraser, Sim, and Snow, who were i appointed to visit certain districts to report. reported to the Board. They were of opinion that the Board should not establish a new school at V\ arepa. railway sta- , tion ; that the Kaihiku school buildings, if i suitable for shifting, should be shifted to | a site near Moa. Hill; that the Board : should make further inquiry about the reopening of the Remoana School: and that something ought to be done to meet the school requirements of Alnuiri Flat.—The j rt port was adopted. | Inspectors Goyen and Fitzgerald reported I recommending that Messrs Shninonds anil ' Wall be engaged to tettcb modelling in eardi board and plastieene ; that Miss Hooper 1 and Miss Landells be appointed to teach j kindergarten work, the latter to take (lie. I work in the Training College and the former to take it in the Dunedin and Oamjiru classes for teachers; and that the courses of lessons be begun in Dunedin at once and iu Oamaru ;ts soon as the Dunedin courses ! are completed. The report was adopted. it was resolved, on Ihe motion of Mr Beattie, that a conference of head-masters j of secondary schools with tile inspectors be j held with a view to securing uniformity of j instruction in district high schools. ( The Board decided, on the motion of the Chairman, that it be referred to the Reports i Committee to consult with the inspectors j and report as to establishing classes for i teaching cookery, laundry work, dressmak--1 iug. woodwork, agricultural chemistry, and ' such other subjects as the Manual and Tech- ' ideal Instruction Act provides for at the I chief centres throughout the province. I The same Comm, nee were also asked to j inquire as to the possibility of making betj ter provision for teaching class X pupils in I Dunedin and Oamaru.