EDUCATION BOARD.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 761, 1 October 1886, Page 11

EDUCATION BOARD.

The umal monthly meeting of the Education Board was held on Wednesday morning. Present : Messrs J. R. Blair (in the chair), W. C. Buchanan, M.H.R, G. V. Shannon, Young, the Mayor, Dr Newman, M.H.R, and the Rev J. Paterson.

The resignations of Miss Laura Medley, assistant (Eeatherston) ; Charles A. Richards, head master (Hutt) ; and Miss Mary A. Seamer, pupil teacher, (Tory-street) were accepted. Miss Grace Young applied for leave from classes. Granted.

An application was. received from Charles Bary and others asking that their monthly insurance premiums might be deducted from their salaries, and paid by the Board to the Government Insurance Department. Mr Bunny did not see why the applicants could not pay their own premiums. In his opinion the Board ought not to touch the matter. Mr Young said the Board had an entirely wrong view of the matter. It was done in Otago and other places, and why not here. Wellington was the only Board that had offered any objection. It would entail, he said, very little trouble on the Board, and would be a great convenience to the teachers. Generally tbe opinions of the members of the Board were adverse to the application being granted, and it was refused. Communication was received from the Dunedin Education Board relative to an exchange of inspectors. The Chairman stated that the Board had previously decided in favor of such a course. It was decided to write to the Dunedin Board informing them of the fact.

James Burns applied to lease portion oE the Sydney-street School site. The Board declined to entertain any claim for the site. Mrs Otten wrote complaining of the conduct of children attending the Te Aro School. It was decided to refer the matter to the Te Aro School Committee. Tram fares from Kilbirnie to Training College were granted to Miss Eergusson, teacher at the College.

The Secretary of the Wainui-c-mata School Committee wrote, stating that the Chairman declined to hand the books over to him. It was decided to forward a copy of the Secretary’s letter to the Chairman ; and also that he be requested to give an explanation of his conduct.

Frank Moore wrote askng the Board to make the usual grant to a school which has ]uat been opened at Glenburn, East Coast. Granted.

The Committee of the Kaitara School wrote complaining that they had not been properly treated by the Board. Replies to letters which the Committee had sent to the Board had not been received, and they had not been consulted with regard to the teacher’s residence. Tbe Board decided that the Committee should be informed that they can have the rent of the old residence leased by Mr D. Henderson. The Waihenga Committee made an application for a vote for putting up a mantlepiece and doing some paperhanging. The Board declined to grant the application. Mr Turnbull, the Board’s architect, submitted a sketch plan of proposed additions to Lower Hutt School. The matter was referred to Mr Lee, Inspector. The Porirua Committee applied for a vote for some fencing to the school property. The Board decided to ask the master to supply the cost of the work. The Newtown School Committee were voted £lO for levelling the school ground. The Board resolved to call for tenders for executing some necessary fencing for the Wangaehu Schot L

M. de Mey, gymnastic instructor to the Board, submitted a report on the work he had done in the Wairarapa since his appointment. The writer asked that he might be allowed, as usual, to visit the Wairarapa schools every ten weeks, in order that he might be able to give a very satisfactory report at the end of the year. Dr Newman thought that the instructor’s salary should be increased, but the Board decided that the funds would not admit of this being done at present. The arranging of M. De Mey’s movements in the Wairarapa was left in the hands of the Chairman.

It was decided that children, who came from a long distance to attend the Tenui school, be allowed to graze their horses in the paddock attached to the school at Tenu ; . On the motion of Dr Newman, the Chairman, Rev J. Patterson, the Mayor, and the mover were appointed a Finance Committee. It was decided that the Committee should briog up a report at the next meeting of the Board as to the best method of raising funds for the erection of education offices, and a school of design on the reclaimed land. A circular from the Educational Department was submitted to the meeting. It stated that the Minister of Education would not consent to any expenditure on repairs and painting out of the money granted from the proceeds of public works loans, and would deem it necessary to deduct from amounts due by way of capitation allowance an equivalent for any sum taken from a building grant for any other purpose than one of those stated in the previous circular. Dr Newman moved that the circular be referred to the Finance Committee for the purpose of ascertaining whether the Government can make deductions from the grant due to the Board. Carried. The Fernhridge School Committee applied for the sum of £8 for the purpose of sinking a well for the use of the children attendirg the school. The Board decided to grant £4. In accordance with a notice, Mr Bunny moved that a Committee be appoint d to look after the matters relating to the Training College and Terrace School. The mover proposed that Messrs Blair, Shannon, Brown and Dr Newman constitute the Committee. Mr Buchanan seconded the motion. Mr Young handed the following protest and left the room :—“ I hereby enter my emphatic protest against this motion, as the obvious motive that underlies it is to exclude me from the Committee, and by consequence from further participation in the affairs of the Training College. Hitherto I have been the only member of tbe Board who has taken more than a general interest in the welfare of that institution, as indeed I am the only member who can briDg professional skill and experience to bear upon matters relating thereto. If I have been Btrong in my condemnation of the present management it was because the poor results obtained made it clear to my mind that the school is not fulfilling the high purposes for which it was established, and a large amount of public money is being spent to little purpose. The following facts prove beyond the possibility of a doubt that I was fully justified in pressing on an inquiry into the working of this school :—l. Comparison of results.— During the last six years 163 students entered the Christchurch Training College. These obtained 173 certificates, viz , 79 E's, 79 D’s. and 15 C’s, In about the same time about 70 students entered the Wellington Training College. These secured 39 certificates, viz , 32 E’s and 7 D’s. I submit that nothing could more clearly prove the truth of my statements than this comparison of results. 2. In the Wellington district there are 44 teachers iu the five higher lists of classification, and of these only four or five are from the Normal School, thereby showing that the successful students are not only few in numbe-, but that they occupy the lowest ranks in the profession. 3. The Principal’s report for 1885 is, 'when shorn of its verbiage, more a series of excuses for bad results. 4 My efforts to reform the Training College have already been productive of good—(a) by causing proper records, registers, log-books, etc., to be kept, a matter of great importance, and which, up to the time of my drawing attention to it, had been almost entirely neglected. (b) There is reason to hope that inquiry will infuse energy into the permanent staff, as the argus-eye of the public is now upon them, and better results will be expected in future, (c) By the employment by the piincipal of a gentleman qualified to teach the higher subjects. 5. Finally you all heard the Principal’s defence at the last meeting of this Board, and his glowing description oE the success of the institution, respecting which I will simply remark that, if you consider that defence worthy of credence, you need not fear adverse criticism, nor need you have recourse to an unworthy stratagem to get rid of me. “ J. Young.”

Before the protest was read Mr Brown suggested that Mr Young’s name should be added. Mr Bunny said that it appeared that Mr Young had come to the meeting prepared to hear that bis (Mr Young’s) name would not be proposed by a member of the Committee, The reason, he said, why Mr Young was not proposed was because it was well known that Mr Young and the principal of the co’lege did not agree. As far as he (the speaker) was concerned he was quite willing to add Mr Young’s name to the Committee. Mr Shannon said that he and Mr Brown had come to the meeting with their minds fully made up that Mr Young’s name should be added to the Committee.

Mr Young’s name was added to the Committee, and Mr Bunny’s motion carried. Mr Bunny drew attention to the fact that Mr Young had supplied the representatives of the press with copies of his protest. He thought it would prove injurious to the institution if it was published. The Rev J. Pater=“->a was of the same opinion. Mr Buchanan thought as Mr Young had given copies of the protest to the press it should be published. After some further discussion the sabject was dropped.

The Board went into committee on inquiries connected with the Newtown School.