BOARD OF EDUCATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6817, 22 September 1883, Page 6

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Tms ordinary weekly meeting of tlie Hoard wag held yesterday. Present — Mesara. Xiiishley (Chairman), Luke, Moas, Goldie, JSnckland, Cooper, McKenzie. REPORT. The Chairman's report was read. It referred chiifly to the removal of teachers -from one school to another. OTARA. Mr. Luke said the money required had been paid, and the Board could have the five acres whenever the Board pleased. He ] ■thought that someone on behalf of the j Board should go and see the ground. , The Board might have it any shape they pleased. SCHOOL AGE. A resolution had been carried at a previous -meeting of the Board altering the school ago from seven to five years upon reading a report by the Inspector. There were answers from 5,9 committees to the effect that the school age should remain as at present. Mr. Cooper now moved:—" That the resolution, dated 13th July, 18S3, approving -of the Inspector's rcport in favour of making seven years the lowest limit of ago for admission to school, ba rescinded ; and that a letter be sent to the Minister of Education, informing him thereof, and that it is the Opinion of this Board that no alteration in the Education Act should ba made in this respect." He said the effect of the tion of the school age wnuld be to throw 25

per cent, of the children of the district upon Hie streets. The answers which had been received from committees, parents, and others appeared to be baaed upon convenience and expediency, rather than upon the question of fitness of the age to commence teaching children. The consequence of allowing so large a proportion of children to roam about the streets would be to iucrease indefinitely the larrikin class. He had occasion xecently to defend children in a Court ol ■justice upon a criminal charge, tc -which they would not have been amenable, in all probability, if they had not been allowed to roam about the streets The early age at which children •were allowed to roam about the streets could .not be believed except by those who had considerable opportunities for observation. He did not believe that the attendance during school hours had so depressing effect npon the brain or mind of children under ■the age of seven—that was to say, between five and seven years of age. He had paid particular attention to what took place in t'onsonby school. He found there that ttie •young children appeared to enjoy going tc school; they liked it—they liked the change ■from school to playground, and from playground to school again. The reasons for attending at five years of age in country schools ■were somewhat different. Many of theschools there were half time schools, and there was a .necessity to employ all the time that was available for education. It was optional on the part of parents whether they sent their children under seven years of age to school. But the resolution passed by tho Board practically disfranchised some 20,000 children. That was a result which ought not to be sustained. . . The Chairman said the reasons which mjfluenced him. in supporting the opinion erpressed in tho Inspector's report were that tho Inspector was the most experienced officer in the employment of the Board. That officer's experience extended very far baek.

and comprehouded a very wide field &f observation. In the next place he (the Chairman) had gathered as far as he couH the medical opinion upon this subject. He found that there was a general consensus o£ opinon that seven years of age was the earliest age at which it -was prudent to subject a child to school instruction. He gathered as much as he could to guide him from observation of his own children. The above were the three principal grounds upon which he supported the Inspector. # » _ _ The Inspector wished to inform the Board that he made no recommendation on this subject. He expressed his own opinion Mr. Lakelet moved an amendment upon Mr. Cooper's resolution, " lhat the Inspector be requested to furnish the Board with further dita by ascertaining the school age fixed in the various countries of the world, and the result of their respective systems upon school age before the Board finally decide upon this question." Mr. McKbnzib thought that a child sent to school at seven years of age would know as much at ten years as one sect at five years of age. Mr. Hobbs said he followed the reasoning of Mr. Cooper entirely on this question. He thought there should have been no alteration. Mr. Buck land thought the time would come when alteration would have to be made. But, iu any case, he thought there .should be no alteration iu respect to attendance at country schools. The Ch iikm.vs said there need be no haste in this matter. Nothing could be done before the next session of Parliament. Therefore he asked the Board to vote rather for lis amendment than to come at once to final decision. The Chairman's amendment was put and declared to be lost. Mr. McK.ks7.ie moved an amendment, " That the school age be six years." The amendment was put and lost. Mr. Cooper's resolution was put and carTied. HOLIDAYS. The Chairman Baid he had proposed a Tesolution which was, however, subject to the re-arrangement by the Department of the Teachers Examination. It was resolved to

communicate with the Department as to the time for holding the teachers' examination. An answer to that communication had been received, to the effect that the subject would have attention. But the Government subsequently said that they did not see their -way to change the time of these examinations. He (the Chairman) now moved : " That inasmuch a3 the proposed re-arrange-ment of holidays was dependent on the time of the teachers, examinations being altered by Government, and inasmuch as the leteer of the 23id of August, received from the department, is not sufficiently explicit to ••warrant an immediate resolution on the subject, tho consideration of the notice of motion for the re arrangement of the bolidaya be postponed until the Government has acceded to the request of the Board in Tespect of altering the time of teachers' examinations." Mr. Buckland : That resolution simply ■shelves a resolution which 1 bad proposed at a former meeting, and which was deferred in consideration of the matter being comprehensively dealt with. X shall move an amendment that the holidays remain aa they are. I think that holidays are few enough at present. I shall do it to test the feeling of the Board. The meaning of the lesolution proposed by the Chairman is to hold out t ie prospect of reduction of the number of holidays at some future time. Mr. Moss: It appears to me that we must have a care that we do not, deteriorate the status of the teachers. If we do we will get an inferior class of men. Mr. Buckla.ni> : If we have inferior teachers, we shall only addle tho brains of the children. That will be the consequence. Mr. Coopkk had observed the nature of the schoolmasters' duties, and they appeared to him to have at times a rather harassing effect. The absence of variety, the tension and strain required in dealing with children, ■was very arduous. He thought that the Board should be very careful not to reduce the holidays if the effect of it would be to lower the teaching capacity, or the capacity to learn in the children. Mr. Golijik could not see that there was any ground of complaint on the part of teachers He believed there were some of them (some having large schools too) who engaged themselves in night schools and other occupations. These teachers oould hardly complain that they were in need of Telaxation,' when the time they had wab not , used for purpose. Ho had seen a state- ' ment made .fcy a teacher at the Thameß to the effect that three days of holidays represented to him something like £20 in his income. The whole thing was a question of money. That was the_ interest which the teacher had in the subject. He could not see that teachers were overworked. Mr. Buckland thought Mr. Goldie'sargument contemplated solely the question as it affected the teacher, but nothing of the consequence of reduction of holidays to the Mr. Hobbs could not follow Mr. Goldie in lis argumeut. He hoped that no attempt ■would be made to reduce the holidays. They ■were at present as few as was compatible with physical and mental health- of teacher and scholar. Mr. McELbszie thought that it would be difficult to make out the case that the teachers were overworked. |

Mr. Luke thought the whole matter was jlearly stated by the Inspector in his report. He would vote for the amendment. The Ciiairmab said there was evidently a misapprehension upon the part of several members -as to the effect of the resolution. The proposal he had made was wholly dependent upon the alteration of the time for the teachers' examinations. In any case, there could only bo a reduction of three days. It appeared to his mind that the school teachers were a favoured class in repect of the hoars during which they were required to discharge their duties. They were required to work only five hours a aay for five days in the week; they bad Saturday to themselves, and they had six weeks holidays during the year. Looking at all the circumstances, he thought the teachers were were a highly-favoured class. Question put, the amendment of Mr. Auckland was declared to be carried. The other business before the Board was adjourned.