BOARD OF EDUCATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9832, 29 May 1895, Page 3

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

A special meeting of the Board of Education was held yesterday, when the following member were present: — Messrs. R. Udy (chairman), S. Luke, W. Lambe, A. R. Harris, J. Muir, W. Woodward. Rev. Canon Bates, a"d Chief Inspector Petrie was also in attendance.

Pupil Teachers.—The first business of meeting was to consider the draft regulations framed by a committee, and the chief inspector, for the employment, instruction, training, and examination of pupil-teachers. The regulations framed contain 25 clauses, the 25th clause including the programme for examination for candidates, ami for pupilteachers of the various ranks. Before proceeding with the discussion of the clauses, which it was agreed should be taken seriatim, Mr. Lambe asked the Chief Inspector, Mr. Petrie, if he had allowed the other two members of the committee to pre vail him to make any considerable alteration in the regulations. He (Mr. Lambe) was willing to allow Mr. Petrie every latitude and support in framing and carrying out his own regulations. They had engaged him to improve the system, and he was willing to give him a general support, but if at the end of his three years' engagement the arrangement proved a failure he would be the first to support a motion that they did not further require Mr. Petrie's services. Mr. Petrie replied that he had not been influenced to any groat extent, and only in a. few minor details did he differ from the other members of the committee. Mr. Muir entered his protest against the revised regulations as a whole. The clauses were then discussed seriatim. In clause 17. fixing the scale of payment of pupil teachers, Mr. Muir moved that the pay of male and female pupil teachers be the same. Mr. Harris seconded the motion, expressing the opinion that if a woman did the same work as a man, she should receive the same pay. The motion was lost by 4 to 3, Messrs. Muir, Luke, and Harris voting for it. Mr. Luke moved for an alteration in the scale of payments, and it was carried, after an amendment in the last line, as follows :—First year : Males, £20; females, £15. Second year..: Males, £25; females, £2!). Third year: Males, £35; females, £30. Fourth year: Males, £45 ; females. £40. The clause provided for an extra allowance of £10 a-year j to be paid to pupil teachers who cannot reside at their usual homes. Mr. Harris moved that this be increased to £12 10s, and the amendment was carried. Several amendments were made, and clause 24. which read as follows, was struck our."Until their engagements have expired, fourth year pupil teachers shall continue to receive from the head teachers ot the schools in which they are employed, or from their approved substitutes, such instruction as may qualify them to go forward for a certificate of class D." As amended the regulations were adopted, and ordered to be forwarded to the Minister of Education for his approval