EDUCATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XVI, Issue 907, 20 July 1861, Page 5

EDUCATION.

To the Editor of the Lyttelton Times.

- Sir, —As the subject of Government aid to public education is just now under discussion, a brief statement of some of the principles and rules upon which such aid, in Great depends, may not be mistimed, but suggestive of something practical for the good of this Province of Canterbury. The numbers within brackets in the following refer to the articles of the Code into which Mr.Lowe last year reduced the Minutes and Regulations of the Committee of Council.

The parliamentary annual grant, administered by the Education Department, has "for its object the prompting of the education of children belonging to the classes who support themselves by manual labor. The means consist in aiding voluntary local exertion, under certain conditions, to establish or maintain schools. (Articles 1, 2, 4, 5.) Every, school must be either (a) a school in connection with some recognized religious denomination; or (b) a school in which, besides secular instruction, the Scriptures are read daily from the authorized version. (Article 8.) '■ - No grants are made to schools which are not open to-inspection by inspectors duly appointed. The inspectors do not interfere with *the religious instruction; discipline, or management of' schools, but are employed to verify the fulfilment of the conditions on which grants are made, to collect information, and to report the results. (Articles 13, 15.)

No annual grant is paid except on a report from the inspector, after a periodical visit, showing that the conditions of the grant have been fulfilled.

The Committee of Council at the time of agreeing to make annual grants to a school, informs the managers in what month to look for the inspector's annual visit. The inspector gives notice of the day of his visit beforehand to the managers. (Articles 16,17.) *

' The duration of the period over which the right of inspection extends depends upon the degree of permanency of the object for which the grant is made: ,

(a) If the grant is made for erecting, enlarging, or improving a school, the right of inspection is secured by a clause inserted.in or endorsed upon the school deed, and is co-extensive with the interest conveyed by that deed.

(b) If the grant is made for maps, or diagrams, the managers are required to sign a declaration that their school shall be open to inspection for seven years. (c) If the grant is annual only, the inspector's visit may at any time be declined by the managers, on forfeiting the grant depending on it, and future grants. But.pupil teachers, whose engagement extends over five years, have a claim on the managers, if the inspection of the school is interrupted before the expiration of that time. (Article 21.) [Such claim arises from hence: that the managers of schools being assenting, not covenanting parties to the indentures of pupil teachers, they are under a moral obligation to maintain the school throughout

the term of apprenticeship in such a state as will enable the pupil teachers to complete and nrofi? by their service.] (Article 116)- P °fit The promoters or managers of auy undertaking must appoint one of their own body to S a f correspondent with the Education Department leachers cannot act as correspondents for the school, in which they are employed. No undertaking be commenced in general reliance upon the aid to be obtained from the Parliamentary grant: senarate applications, in the iorm of proposals, must in * 3 c first instance be addressed to the Secretary of the Department; whereupon full instructions are issued according to the particulars of it. (Article 22!) GRANTS TO ESTABLISH SCHOOLS unts it^SrsSn- 11" MW **""***? Schools (a) That there is a sufficient population of the labouring class which requires a school in the vicinity. (b) That the religious denomination of the new school is suitable to a sufficient number™ scholarT 11168 rellGd UP°U f°r "PP»Ji»« (C) ScS.^ kdy t0 maintainedin The grants made for building or enlarging eleSt aSg sS^ re uot t0 exc«ed •*;«■*& Ist limit-The total amount voluntarily contributed by proprietors, residents, or employers of labour in the parish where the school is situated, or within the distance of four m iles from the school. [Such contributions may be m the various forms detailed ] 2nd limit-2s. 6d. per square foot of internal area in new school rooms and class rooms 3rd hmit-255. per child on the number requiring to be provided with new accommodation (ArT^) 65 f°r 6aCh teacher'B residence. The balance which is not covered by the voluntary local contributions and by the public grant, taken n!t^ r 'm% b Kimade UP from any other sources that are available: such as the proceeds of endowment, or the subscriptions of persons living out of (ArSdete ) r * diStaDCe °f m°re than f°"r miles" Grants are not made for rooms intended to be used on Sundays only; nor to pay off debts already incurred in building. nor for ■ maintenance of buildings. (Article 27.) The site must be, in extent, not less than 1 200 square yards; in situation not unhealthy nor noisy and within convenient distance from the homes of the scholarsr in tenure fee simple. The trust deed must declare the premises to be granted in trust for the education of the poor, and for no other purpose whatever It must also provide for the legal ownership of the premises, and for the inspection and management of the school, according to one or other of certain forms established for the several denominations with which schools have connection The plans, with specifications and estimate ' when approved and sealed, may be returned for use, but must be lodged in the Education Office before a grant is paid. (Articles 28, 29, 32.) The grant is paid on presentation of a certificate with balance sheet annexed, by the building and managing committee of the school, setting forth that the building and conveyance are completed and that the money in hand, raised by absolute donations will, when added to the grant, meet all claims and finally close the account. '■- I fear,you will not be able- to Vfford space for much more than' the foregoing at once, so I reserve what relates to grants to maintain schools until your next publication. ,f : „ And here it maybe proper to express ..what I wish piay be borne in mind: that what I have 'set downis not, so far as it. goes even, a copy word for word of that from which it is taken, but>only an abstract in a rude form, comprising all those particulars which might, in'my. opinion, ha.ye a less remote bearing than others upon the circumstances of this colony. The code as a complete document, relating to an existing;'centralized^jscheme! of^ education is worth a-study;,by r any. petsonsi ; wliig|^ ; . J de»ireufl^of beinglihe founders of sonic-sucH scheme; aud it may, lucid-as it is, furnish fbthe-m- hew reason to be cautious in attempting to establish,'by means of public money gifts, one general system of education for the population of a whole country. ■ Yours obediently, X. V Z Christchurcb, July 11 th, 1861.