EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11745, 29 August 1901, Page 6

EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND.

THE MINISTER'S REPORT. , IMPROVED ATTENDANCE AT SCHOOLS. THE FUTURE OF TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION. [BY telegraph.— correspondent.] Wellington, Wednesday. The 24th annual report of the Minister for Education is to hand to-day. The working average for 1900 was 111,748, an increase of 1432 on that of 1899, which was j 110,316. In 1898 the average was 111,636, I and in 1897 112,328. The average of the ! weekly roll numbers throughout the year shows a further falling off from that of 1899, which was less than the year before, the figures being 132,897 for 1900 as against j 133,540 for 1899, a decrease of 643. The ' increase in the working average for the North Island is 1806, and the decrease for the South Island is 375. In regularity of ! attendance there has been an improvement in every district of the colony except Nelson, which remains the same as in 1899, and Marlborough and Southland, which show a slight falling off. In Grey and Westland the high figures which were attained in 1899 (89 per cent, and 86.8 per cent, of the average roll number respectively) have increased to 89.1 and 87.5. Otago, with an attendance of 86.9 per cent, of the number on the ' roll, stands at the head of the large educaj tion districts. There are 2522 Maoris and I half-castes attending the public schools. | The percentage of passes to those examined was:—Auckland, 87.1; Taranaki, 79.2; Wanga.nui, 88.4 ; Wellington, 84.4; Hawke's Bay, 86.7; Marlborough, 89.4; Nelson, 77.5; Grey, 92.0; Westland, 89.2; ! North Canterbury, 83.4; South Canterbury, ! 87.6; Otago, 87.2; Southland, 88.9. The numbers of pupils instructed in the different districts are: Auckland, 28,045 ; - Taranaki, 4061; Wanganui, 10,629 ; Wellington, I 14,658 ; Hawke's Bay, 7997; Marlborough, 2146; Nelson, 5691; Grey, 1654; Wtestland, 1278 North Canterbury, 19,850 South Canterbury, 5148; Otago, 20.150; Southland, 9417. The number of schools open at the end of 1900 was 1674, or 29 more than were open in December, 1899. The total average | attendance for the fourth quarter of 1900 I was 111,498, against 109,050 in the. corresponding quarter of 1899. The mean aver- ! age attendance per school, therefore, rose I from 66.3 to 66.6. In December, 1900, there were employed lin the public schools of the colony 3586 | teachers, exclusive of sewing mistresses. Of j the total 2631 were adults and 955 pupil- ' teachers. The total of all salaries paid was £356,875. i The distribution of the ordinary votes for school buildings was made as follows: — Auckland, £9500; Taranaki, £1650; Wanganui, £3925; Wellington, £5200; Hawke's Bay, £2600; Marlborough, £900; Nelson, £2000; Grey, £775; Westland, £750 : North Canterbury, £6000; South Canterbury, £1800; Otago, £6000 ; Southland, £3400; balance to native schools, £500: total, £45,000. The following distribution was made of the special vote for schools in newly-settled districts:—Auckland, £1426; Wanganui, £807 Hawke's Bay, £435 Marlborough, £174 ; North Canterbury, £301 Southland, £207; native schools, £2463 undisturbed, £19,187: total, £25,000. | " Scholarships were distributed as follows: Auckland, 77; Taranaki, 15; Wanganui, 18; Wellington, 44; Hawke's Bay, 26; Marlborough, 5; Nelson, 9; Grey, 8 ; Westland, 7 ; North Canterbury, 38; South Canterbury, 30; Otago, 51; Southland, 21. The vote for the training of teachers, increased last year froln £600 to £1000. was divided equally between the normal schools at Christchurch and Dunedin. In other districts, notably at Napier, attempts have been made to provide in some degree for - , the training of teachers, but taking the i i colony as a whole the provision made for i , this important need seems to fall short of i what is adequate. ! There are 89 Maori village schools, with j 3109 pupils, an increase of 44. I There are 1703 inmates in the industrial ■ schools, an increase of 35. In conneci tion with industrial schools, the report states it is almost, if not quite, impossible in a reformatory to .do without corporal punishment or the use of cells, but it is hoped, by a system of promotions from class to class, and if considered, money rewards for good conduct, to reduce these objectionable forms of punishment to'a minimum. It would be a mistake to abolish - prematurely the power to use such punish- . meats. For instance, in America, where ! corporal punishment was abolished, it had ; been found desirable to reintroduce it. The . necessity for further progress must not, i ! however be lost sight of. Accordingly, it . | is proposed to give to.boards of education j; the power to establish separate truant [ schools, and thereby to check at its outset [ the nomadic habit that so often leads to [ i juvenile delinquency. It is hoped, also, . that the introduction of more definite indus- ) trial training into the schools, such as that [ given, for instance, in the workshops lately f, erected at Burnham, will still further ini crease the chances of success in the treatt! ment of those committed to the schools. , I On account of the earnings of inmates of * j Government industrial schools, there was ' i on December 31,- 1900, a balance in the i Post Office Savings Bank of £11,137, and ~ on account of inmates on the books of pri- [ vate industrial schools £1527. The report deals at some length with manual and technical instruction. It is hoped that, especially in the schools, the j fact will not be lost sight of that manual training should not be treated as a subject apart from the rest of education, but that I it should be co-ordinated with the other subjects of instruction, and that its introduction should have a marked influence in making all methods of teaching more concrete, morarfirect, and more natural. The training of the perceptive powers by ob- > servation and attention, the development of ' the reasoning powers, the training in the 1 ready and clear expression of thought, the ' growth of literary and artistic taste, and of • a sturdy manly morality, all taken to- ' gether, not any one of them separately, will make good citizens and good workmen. It | is foi tie local controlling authorities in 1 all parts of the colony to take up the work that is now made possible for them to do, ; it is for the various public associations and : corporate bodies to do their utmost to en- [ courage those departments of the work in which they are most interested, and it may 7 not perhaps be too much tc hope that I there may be found private donors to whom, as elsewhere, more especially in Great Brie tain and the United States, the endowment of technical education may seem an object worthy of their generosity. The total expenditure undei the head of technical in- ' struction, exclusive of grants for buildings, 1 for the year 1900 was £2690. e •