STANDARD VII. SCHOLARS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9832, 29 May 1895, Page 6

STANDARD VII. SCHOLARS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS.

AMONGST other matters brought up for consideration at the special meeting of the Board of Education held yesterday was that of the status of seventh standard scholars or class X. in the public primary schools.

The sub-committee appointed to consider the returns received from head teachers relative to the pupils in Class X. (Standard VII.) reported as follows —" Your committee having considered the returns received from teachers relative to the pupils in Class X., recommend that the Minister should be asked to sanction the following arrangement:— 1. That the work for class X. shall be the same as that prescribed for the examination'of candidates for employment. 2. That the head teachers be required to present all the pupils of class X. at the annual examination of the school." Mr. Woodward urged that they should insist on children who had passed out of the sixth standard leaving their schools, and entering a higher school. He moved, " That class X , including all those who have passed Standard VI., and who are over 15 years of age, be gathered into a suitable school, and specially instructed, and that a charge of 15s a quarter, payable in advance, be demanded of them, to bear in part the cost of such extra instruction." The Rev. Canon Bates contended it would be a bad policy to set up a rival secondary school when the Grammar School existed, but he held that a syllabus should be prepared for class X. Mr. Muik said it would be very expensive to start a special school for 100 scholars, but he would be more in favour of a Training College, and he suggested to Mr. Woodward to adopt this view. They were here as administrators, not as legislators, and they could not legislate as to the age of scholars. The Chairman (Mr. Udy) said the State had made provision for secondary education, and in the Grammar School the Board had already 40 children receiving free secondary educationa large proportion for one district,—and persons who desired the additional education for their children ought to pay the fees of £8 Bs. He thought, however, if they maintained the Seventh Standard, that provision should be made for them, but his opinion was that the time of the teachers should not be taken from the younger children to teach this standard. The whole matter, he held, rested with the Committees.

Mr. Woodward's amendment was lost, and it was agreed to forward the recommendation of the Committee to the Minister of Education.

The Rev. Canon Bates proposed that the words, "That where practicable pupils in class X. shall be taught in one or more central schools," be added to the recommendation, but this was lost on the voices. A second motion by Mr. Bates, " That it be an instruction to head teachers to instruct class X. in accordance with the regulations for the entrance of candidates" was also lost.