FREE SECONDARY EDUCATION.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 4869, 22 January 1903, Page 7

FREE SECONDARY EDUCATION.

the new regulations.

As there is considerable misunderstanding existing with reference to the recent proposals of the Education Department concerning free places m secondary schools and grants payable therefor, we give in full the circular issued by the Minister of Education on the Subject to these regulations =EB per annum will bo paid to the governing body of any public secondary school °a account of each free place provided—that is on account of each pupil admitted without payment of fees for tuition in excess of those referred to in clauses - and 3 hereof. . , 2. (a) Before receiving tho amount named in clause 1 the governing body of a secondary school shall be required to provide on such conditions as may seem fit to it and are approved by the Minister, one free place for each iaO ot its net income derived from endowments including therein also grants from school commissioners and interest upon moneys derived from the sale of endowments; but for the purposes of this clause no account shall be taken of any special endowments for scholarships or ot scholarships granted out of such endowm cuts. (b). Further, the secondary school shall bo required to admit to free places all pupils of good character who satisfy tho conditions of clause -1 and wish to attend the secondary school.

(e). The secondary school shall give to each holder of a freo place granted -under these regulations instruction in arithmetic and English of a standard higher than that required for Standard VI of the public school syllabus (the English to include English' composition, and a study of one or more of the works of some standard author or authors—not loss than 800 'lines of poetry or 200 pages of prose in a year, or an equivalent in poetry and prose); also regular instruction in one of the subjects prescribed in clauses 22, 2-t, 25 and 27 of the regulations under tbo Manual and Technical Instruction Act, 1900; and, further, in three or more of the following subjects:—French. German, Latin, geometry. algebra, trigonometry, elementary mechanics, book-keeping, shorthand, phy-

siology. geography, history, or other subjects approved by Hie Minister (geography and history must be beyond what is prescribed for Standard VI). X.B.—Grants for subjects taught in accordance with the regulations tor “sehooi classes” under the Manual and Technical Instruction Act, ISOO, will be payable in addition to the grants under these regulat ions. (d) Tho programme of each pupil admitted to a tree place under those regulations shall be determined by the principal of tuo secondary school after consultation with the parent”or guardian of the pupil; provided that no sueh pupil shall be compelled to take Latin or to take more than one language besides English. 3. Xo payment shall be made on account of any pupil holding one of the free places named in clause 2 (a). 4. To bo entitled to hold one of the free places granted tinder these regulations a pupil must, before entering the secondary school, have obtained a “certificate of profleieuej - ” as defined by regulations under- the Education Act, 1877, and must not be over 14 years of ago on the 31st December preceding the date of his admission to a. secondary schooas the holder of such free place.” 5. Payments shall be made, quarter!;., but payment on account of any pupil shall cease after two years from the 31st December preceding the date of his admission, unless ho be entitled to a free place under clause fi. 6. TJig payment of £G per annum on account of any holder of a free place under the foregoing clauses may be continued for two years logger provided he satisfies such tests as may be required by the Inspector-General of Schools, and is granted a free place in the secondary school; provided further that regular instruction is given to him of a more advanced character than that given to the holders of the free places referred to above. 7. (a) If on a report from the governing body of tile secondary school or from tho Inspector-General of Schools it shall appear to tho Minister that the attendance, conduct, diligence, or progress of any pupil is not satisfactory, tiio payment on account of such pupil shall cease at the end of the quarter in which such report is received. (b). No attendance shall be counted satisfactory in the caso of any holder of a free xdace if he is absent (except on account of illness) more than 20 per cent, of the number of times that the .school is open, or more than 30 per cent, of such number of times if tbo total distance that he would be required to walk from his place of residence to the school or from his place of residence to the railway of other public conveyance and from the railway or other public conveyance to the school is more than three miles, the distance being estimated by the nearest road. 8. These free places are open to boys and girls alike. 9. Any bolder of a free place whose parents, after his admission to the secondary school, shall remove more than five miles from tho secondary school at w’llieli his free place is held may continue to hold his free place at any other secondary school at which such free places aro tenable. 10. These free places are not tenable with any other free places or with any scholarships except in eases approved by the Minister in which such scholarships are granted to enable the holders thereof to meet the cost of books or apparatus, or are necessary to enable the holders to meet the cost of travelling to the secondary school or of boarding away from home in order to attend the secondary school. 11. A free place under these regulations cannot be bold by any pupil who is bn the books of a secondary school for any part of the year 1002. 12. These regulations shall come into force on the Ist January, 1903.