WANGANUI EDUCATION BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 87, 1 July 1879, Page 2

WANGANUI EDUCATION BOARD.

- ■ ■ » ; [Abridged from the Chronicle.] At the meeting of the Education Board on Wednesday last, there were present-— Messrs Watt (chairman), Sanson, Halcombe, Snelson, Ross, Buker, M'Gregor, and Sir William Fox. foxton school. Correspondence was read from the Foxton Committee regarding the looal school building; also reports upon the Bame matter. Sir William Fox stated that he had inspected the building, and folt bound to state that the whole carrying out of the the contract had been done in a negligent : manner palpable to auy person at a mere cursory glanoe. Mr Sanson stated that he had, r via»-**i the ' building, and had not considered 't^e jjfri-?*?* ance to be very great. I - " - Mr Watt censured the conduct of tho . Committee. He said had alwß^^BK the desire of the Board to endow theXWglmittees with the fullest powers, and they had placed the utmost confidence in the Foxton Committee. He could not refrain from expressing his great dis ippointtnont at the result. He thought, ho .vever, it might possibly be excused from the faot that Foxton always had been at O's aud 7's. Past history would testify to that faot, but he had hoped that tlie School Committee would have proved an exception to the rule. But when the Board found .fiaO.f or £6*)o thrown away through the negligenao of the Committee, it was, to say the least of it, a very unsatisfactory position. It was finally proposed by Mr Sanson.and seconded by Mr Baker, thut tho contractor be called upon by the Committee to finish the echool i:i accordance with Mr Ross' report, and failing to do so, thvt tho work ba performed by the Committee, anl be deducted from the oost of the contract. Carried. QENERAL BU.-JIX-SS. The Palmerston C-inmittoe having written, asking thnt a more central place than Wanganui mignt be app .inted for tho examination of pupil teachers, and pointing out tlie inconvenionce and unpleasantness of young girls being compelled to reside for two or three days at hotels in Wanganui, the matter was discussed at leigth, and it was eventually resolved, " That the question of appointing central places within each County in the district for holding the examinations be taken into consideration at the meeting of the Board to be held in February next." With rogard to tfie question of the expense incurred by the teacher., it waa decided to allow them their travelling expenses, as was done last year. The question of galleries for, the sohoolroom at Palmerston was considered* and it was determined to leave the mutter with the Local Committee. The Board reso'ved to grant to the Foxton and Palmerston schools requisites applied for. A letter was read from Mr Baker, of Taonui, requesting the Board to instruct Mr Skerman, the present Chairman of the Taranui Committee, to hand over all moneys held by him, he haying fallen out with the Com-iiUee, aud withdrawn his children from tho sebo»l. The Secretary was instructed to inform Mr Baker, of \ Taonui, that the Board had no power lo | interfere w : th Mr Skerman until the oxpU ration of the year. i Mr Sanson moved the following resolutions, which were carried:— (l). That itt order to provide for the thorough examination of the publio sohools in the Colony, it is necessary to secure the services of duly qualified gentlemen as Sohool Inspectors. And as neither tho School Committees nor the Eduoation Board have any proper meant! of testing the qualifications of persons holding thir important poaition, thia Board respectfully suggests to the Hon. the Minister for Education the importance of requiring all distil .l school inspectors to furnish him with »uoh necessary certificates of competency, &c , as will satisfy him of theii. -V fitness for thnt offfce. Suoti certificates to bo certified to by tho Inspector General of Education for New Zealand. — (2). That in the opinion, of this Board it, is desirable to encourage and promote tho training df* eligible candidates who aro desiro.is of pr-fe-"* paring themselves to teach in our publto schools, and whereas tho revenue of tho Board will not allow of the employment of all suoh persons as pupil' teachers, it is agree J to provide for the training of cadets . preparatory to thuii- appointment as pupilteachers. Knch year pf cadetsliip to count a year of aervice as pupil teacher. , The instruction to bo given to cadets, and tlie re- f muneratioii of teachers for s.toh work to "to •**" the same as that provided in the Board's regulations -for pupil teaohera, provided

always that cadets should not be required to teach more than half the sohool houw injany one day. That teachers in our various schools be requested to famish the Inspector witli the name and ago of scholars who may he willing to enter the seavice ol the Bo trd; as cadets." Carrii d. * It was resolved to endeavour to obtain -*>_ j£)BJ}?fs'ot the Teraperanoo Les-011 Hook by Richardson, in the Rational Sohools of the Colony. Leave of absence wns granted to Sir Wil-* Ham Fox during the session. Propced by Mr Sanson, nnd earned, That in future all school**- bo floored with liin. timber. Mr Inspector Foulis informed the Board that out of 11 candidates who had presented themselves for examination in Maroh last, *l had passed. The number of scholars on the books on the 31st May was 3234; average attendance, 2517* The Secretary reported an actual credit balance on the general account of £128, but on payment of outstanding accounts the debit would be £626, There was a debit balance of £272 on the building nocount.