GENERAL EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 216, 29 August 1862, Page 5

GENERAL EDUCATION BOARD.

A meeting of this Board was held at noon ve«frday, in the Superintendent's office. His Honor the Dcputy-Supprintendeut, presided; and there were also presPnr, Messrs. J. M'Glaslian, (provincial solicitor), .Fames Paterson, and \v. H. Reynolds ilie Nserctavy (Mr. Hislop), read the minutes of the last meeting, held on the 30th June, and they were confirmed. . . -

pkov;- er.u, nion scuooi,,

[ The Chairman sa: I that tiie first business would be | tor him tm-port what be had done In pursuance of t-:e resolution come to nt the last meeting, with r.\irard to tbe obtaining of masters for tbe new Ili-h h-huol. Thehe«t plan would be to have the letters read; and hit ini-ht state that to avoid delay from any accident, he s, nt duplicates by the last mail the original letters having been forwarded in July. ' The letter-; were read. The first and most len«thv was addressed to Messrs. Crawford and Auld V? S hdml.ur.rli, agents tor the Board. Tl.e following is an abstract. ■ Ihe want of an educational institution entitled to hold a respectable rank, has loni? been felt vi the province ; for it may be said that only davsenools oi an ordinary character have as yot existed whether in town or country. It is now proposed to establish a Provincial Hi-h .school, by means „f which the youth of tl.e province may have within their ivach a sound Knglisb, classical, commercial ■ and mathematical education. A school builriht" is now m course of erection, £6.300 having'- been anprupnateii for defraying the cost. Tiie school bementirely an rxpsriment, it is difficult to form au approximately correct idea of the number of scholars who will attend, the length of time tin-v will be allowed to remain under tuition, the branches cd education that will be most esteemed, or the success that will tor some time after its establishment, attend the operation of the school. The Dunedin High school, established six years ago, has oniv occupied the position, and served tbe piiipo.es of an ordinary day-school. The large number of settled families, Jong anxious to obtain fir their sons a suitablecducation,taktn in connection with tliccontinual influx of population, will render necessary the appointment ot three first-class masters fur the propose.! High School Hie larger proportion of the scholars will no doubt pas* from school direct to business education ; but rlu-re will, m ail probability, lie a suflicient number dtsirous ot education, with a view to matriculation at the Universities, to occupy the attention of the Head .Master at first, and to require the appointment of an assistant ere long. It may he concluded tb it the previous attainments of the majority ».,t the pupils will be ot an extremely 'unpretending character, probably much inferior to those of the boys of correspoiidin» jjes and stations in Great Britain. Therefore at hr.-.t the instruction to be given will necessarily have to be of an elementary character. There Ls a disposition on the part or the Government and the public to act liberally towards the mast-.-rs, in the event of their giving satisfaction. The Principal, upon whom the tone and future character of the Institution will so much depend, should be an accomp ished classical senolar, and well informed on the most improved system of public school instru'-tioa in rhe united Kingdom and elsewhere. It is of paramount importance that, all the masters to be selected should be gentlemen of undoubted Christian character, sound scholars, an : if possible, (although it is by no means insisted upo-s; taut they should be graduates of one of the English. Universities. At the (Lite of selection none of them should be more than of> years ol* age It is not ieem d essential tha the masters should be members of auy par ieular Protestant Church, but it m most important tbat they should not bold those exreme vie.-.s which dislin/uish, if not a party at basi some mem. .ers, of almost every religious denomination the aim of the school will be strict!v mis..ctarian. The selection of the masters has been placed in tbe bands of three of the nio>t competent heads of public education iv Great Britain, the Provost of Eton, tl.e lector of the High School, and the Hector pf tbe Academy in Edinburgh—nnd to each of these gentlemen a duplicate of this letter has been sent. They are to lie consulted with reference to the books necessary to be purchased, so as to lie forwarded under tbe care ofthe masters. The salaries proposed are—Head Master. £oo<), with £100 in lieu of house; each ofthe others, LVA), with L 7."< '.ov home. It is intended to erect suitable houses as sjon as possible, and the allowances will then cea«e.

Engagement, to continue during good conduct. A stipulation is to be made-for the re-adjustment of salavies at the end of three years. This ninv be necessary on,many grounds. The school will then have br-en thoroughly started—the rate of fees will be fixed; the masters wiil have been able to increase their incomes by taking boarders; additional masters wi.l no doubt have become ncccssarv. Collegiate institutions, it may be hoped, will have oeen .established, to which it will have been found necessary to draft o' •» or two of the ma-ters. But. tiie object of the Go-, eminent iv making this stipulation is not to secure power of reducing the salaries ; the gi eater probability is that they will be augmented to thoroughly competent and prwved masters. The agents are authorised to expend £400 on cabin passages for the masters ; and, rather tban suffer much delay to occur iv concluding all necessary arrangements, the agents bave discretionary power to modify the gene al terras specified.

The circular letter addressed to the Provost of Eton and his eoutvmplated coadjutors, conveyed au urgent appeal for assistance in making selections so important to t'.e colony.

Iv reply to a question from the Chairman, it was agreed tbat the resolution of the previous meeting had been fully carried out by his Honor.

KOUTII DUNEOIN. The Secretary reported that the South Dunediu Committee had appointed a teaeberwhom they believe-! to be highly qualified for his othce. A public meeting had declared the.site of the present school to be wholly unsuitable, and a committee specially appointed to look for a m-w site bad selected a portion of ihe reserve near Macuiggan street as the best, both from its situation and capabilities. Its central position in tbe district would render unnecessary any sideschool and yet it was sufficiently out of the way of business.

The Chairman, in answer to a question, said that the site of the present school belonged to the Church Trustees, so that tbe Education Board could do nothing; with it, besides whicli it was wholly unsuitable, because it would very soon be in the centre of business ami bustle.

One of the original selection maps having been procured, it was found that the site chosen bythe Committee was part of the town belt, and therefore not. to be had.

Tlie Secretary was directed to request the Committee to examine the part ofthe Reserve on the opposite side of the road, and to intimate that if a suitable site was found there, an application for it would be favorably considered. The Committee, in another communication, -asked for £30 to provide some much-needed furnishings, at a cost probably not exceeding £30. The Secretary sa:d be understood tbat there was a want of desk and seating; that some of the pupils had to kneel on tbe floor and use the benches as desks.

It was directed that the amount should be included in the next half-year* estimate.

NEW BUILDINGS. fnrPS c 6™ f hm[tt*d of propo. 1 new buildings d\ t-l I ouvf sh? lu.> *«** Taieri, ,n >d Tokomairiro districts. As designed,.the. .Cav ri -Bhain huilriin<* would cost L 1.500; but a porta,, waai,,dL» which might be complete.for L9OO. nnd would be amply S ufn.-wnt Ur- present wants; This was fnithorwed to be earned out. The KastTiicri design was toi a p.awi but suita'.le brick building, nccommoilatwg one hundred children, and a master's iv^ideiico, at a cost (estimated) of L1,'200 ; wl.ise the Tokomii' mo committee had given prefer,nco to a design for a wooden omliling, also for one hundred pupils, aad a residence, their estimated-ost being I&h. Mr. Paterson thought that Ll,-JOO ought not to-be expended for Kast Taieri, when the wan "of .S equally important district could be supplied for L*oo the Chairman sail.that, as fur as he was concerned, he was determined to set his face agaiA erecfin-any public buildings of wood. He believed it to bs a perfect waste. The East Ttiieri design was approved of; and after a short conversation it was agreeU to erect a preciilv similar brick buikliug in tlfe Tokomairiro ESt SSS^W* touud- thatilß ™st would not much

,'tt- c Secretary was directed to inquire whether an additional piece of land could, nut be purchased ar Shn pT/ 'n )at the, sch? ol ail(l masted residence ini"l)t be built near each other. The Caversham Committee asked for £80 for the £nL 0,J Jl, °"ly ,10US0 r" itab,e for the temporary w*ideuce of the master who was expected shortly to open n.f °^o T uiV il« li«g; but (he Hoard agreed to allow .taO only, that Ining the amount paid to North Dunedin, in lieu of a master's house. The Secretary stated that there were constant coinplaints from districts, about the delay in beginni-," new buildings, for wliich the money had bewn allow*? three times over in some case*. Tha dolus- was cause.f by having to wait for plans. ■ There was no other business.