THE EDUCATION BOARD'S ANNUAL REPORT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9118, 18 May 1891, Page 6

THE EDUCATION BOARD'S ANNUAL REPORT.

We have received from Mr P. G. Pryde a opy of the anniißl report of tho Otago Educaion Board for 1800. Three new schools were pened, making the total 193. A number of pplicntions for establishing achools, chiefly iv mwly and uparsely settled districts, have been octived, but the small sum at tho disposal of he board will, it is feared, prevent it providing he means of education in any but one or two of ho most pressing cases. The classification of ichools according to average attendance ia as ollowb :— Under 15 pupila, 10 j 15 nnd under 20 pupils, 13; !0 and under 25, 17; 25 and under 60, 09 jSO and jnder 75, 28; 75 nnd under 100,13; 100 nnd under 160, 11; 150 and under 300,10; 300 aud under 51)0, J; 600 and upwnrdi, 11; total, 193. There are now 531 teachers, of whom 143 ore liead masters, 128 mistresses, 54 male and 43 Eemale assistants, 03 male and 88 female pupil teachers, and 12 teachers of sewing. The teaching staff has thus received seven additions, mostly females, during the year. There are 151 pupil teachers employed by the board. Of the 147 who went up for examination in December 133 passed and 14 failed; the failures being larger than for many previous years. The number of pupils who attended at all in the course of the year was 29,245, of which 5966 were in Dunedin and 23,279 in other schools. The daily average attendance waß 3891 in Dunedin and 15,440 in all other schools. Though 314 more pupils were enrolled in the Dunedin schools, tho overage attendance in 1890 was 47 less than in 1889, and while the total enrolments in Otago show an increase of 661, tho average attendance has dropped 242 below that of 1889. The report ascribes the falling off to the prevalence of la grippe. The report says that it is impossible to tell with any degree of accuracy the number of children who are growing up in this education district without receiving the benefits of an elementary education. The measures which have been taken so far to deal with cases o! neglect of parents and guardians have been attended with but small success, and there is little doubt that a large number of children are growing up without that training for the duties of life which the public system of education provides, and this is specially true of the large oentrea of population, where schools are good and most easy of access. The percentage of children between 5 and 7 years attending school is 18 as against 18J last year. Between 7 and 10 the percentage is 35; between 10 and 13,33; between 13 and 15,12; above 15,2 per cent. Of the 13,915 pupils who presented themselves for examination in the standards 11,399 passed, the percentage of absentees being only 25, while that of the exemptions was 36. The percentage of paßsea was 83, or 2 per cent, below last year's results; while the percentage of failures was 14, as against 138 for 1889. The average percentage of marks for class subjects was 54, and the average additional marks 697. The latter number is Bomewhat above and the former somewhat below that for several preceding years. There was a slight decline in the ages at which Standards I and VI wore passed, and in the percentage of passes in all tbe standards except tho Sixth. The schools that succeeded in patsing all their presentees were: — Highcliff, Macraes, Lee Stream, Mount Stuart, Rongahere, Tarras, and Wangaloa, while Kakanui passed all but one, and the Normal School is in the proud position of passing 729 out of 731 pupila. The only other city or suburban schools figuring in this listare Green.lsland (391 pupils), with only four failures; Kaikorai (692 pupils), four failures; Benevolent Institution (40 pupils), five failures. In class subjects the average percentage of marks was 54, and in additional subjects 69. The maximum attainable in the latter branch was 102. Bannockburn school obtained 101, Port Chalmers 99, Cromwell 97, Purakanui 96, Lawrence 94, Oamaru (Middle) 93, Green Island 92, Tokomariro 91, Albany and Arthur streets 90 each. " The schools at which the marks gained were below 50 are without exception small ichools, taught by a single teacher, in which the weight of the syllabus is most severely felt." In regard to the training college the report sa ya : " Experience has proved beyond a doubt the very great value of the college as a means of securing a sufficient supply of well educated and properly trained teachers for the public schools. The board feel bo Btrongly in regard to this matter that they have strained a point since the discontinuance of the training schools vote to maintain the institution in Moray placa in a state of efficiency, in the hope that the Government and the Legislature will ere long sea their way again to vote a grant in aid of training insiitutiomi in the larger centres of population. The board would regard as a very great calamity the closing of the institution under their charge from want of sufficient f unde, and would therefore strongly urge upon the Minister of Education his favourable consideration of this most important matter." The cost per pupil on average attendance for tho past four years was as follows:—Office management, Is 6Jd; inspection, 2s 3|d; teachers' salaries, £3 4s Bjd ; committee's expenses, 4s 7Jd;—total, £3 13s 2jd. The appendices to the report are, as usual, very full and elaborate. inspectors' bejobt. The joint report of tbo inspectors states that it is disappointing to find the result in class subjects year by year suffering a slight decline, even though the falling off does not imply any serious want of efficiency in the teaching of these subjects. Thsy differ from the Minister of Education that the percentage of marks given for class subjects Bhould exceed the percentage of passes in standards. The percentage of failures exceeds that for the previous year by 2, a result more favourable than was expected. The average ages at which the several standards were passed compare favourably with those of preTious years. The inspectors ask the question how far the passing of Standard IV fits a boy for the duties of citizenship, and of life, and conclude that the answer cannot be favourable. The inadequacy of the reading matter prescribed is one of the greatest defects, " the needs of pupils who leave school on passing Standard IV being but little considered in tbe framing of the standard course of instruction. For suoh boys a great deal of reading in the lower standards is moßt needful, and it would be well to provide for it even at the expense of all instruction in history, and by sacrificing some of the drawing of Standard IV. Higher proficiency in reading and understanding what is read, would greatly favour the acquisition of n wider knowledge of spelling, and would in a still higher degree promote tbe power of expression through the art of composition. It is above all in geography that the course of instruction fails to meet the requirements of pupils of the class we are now considering. The capes, the straits, and islands, and peninsulas of the world, and much of the rest of the catalogue might, with manifest advantage, give place to such a knowledge as can be gained of our own empire in its central isles and distant scattered members, with perhaps a brief outline of Europe and the United States thrown in. So little real knowledge of history oan be gained at this early age (12 years on tbe average) that it would, we think, be a distinct gain to discard it altogether, and devote the time thus set free to gaining a further training in purely English studies—in reading, spelling, and composition." The changes mentioned, it is pointed out, could be made with a stroke of the Minister's pen, The average attainments of pupila who pass Standard VI are then examined, and the inspectors say:—"A review of this summary of the attainments of pupils who have gone through the entire course of public school education, while it discloses much that is highly satisfactory, reveals some defects which _ all lovera of education would gladly see remedied. The most obvious of these—the incomplete mastery of reading; the backwardness in composition which is one of its effects; the comparative ignorance about tb.9 chief political, social, and industrial arrangements of our own time; and the defective training in the art of observing and of describing and reasoning about what is seen—these defects to a large extent admit of remedy; and we know of no serious obstacle to the immediate application of remedial measures. The course of instruction would, indeed, have to be amended and in part curtailed; but this, instead of being an eyi!, would allow of a better educative training being given in all the higher standards." The report says that the moral training in habits of neatnesi", order, and attention, in industry and application, in truthfulness and honest work, and in mutual forbearance and good behaviour, is on the whole bb good as can be expected. In all these directions the schools, beyond question, exercise a great and steady influence. It is true that orchards are robbed, and rough boys sometimes behave badly in tho streets, but, as a rule, the influence of the schools bearß directly against all such practices, and that is all that can be reasonably expected of them. The line of study adopted by pupils in what is termed Standard VII is declared unsuitable. It would be better if pupils who do not intend to go forward to the higher schools did not take up either Latin or algebra, but devoted their time to advanced English, including the study of such a book as the English Composition in Dr Smith's series, mensuration of plane surfaces (if boys), advanced drawing, elementary geometry, and some suitable course of lessons in science or domestic economy. The study of these subjects would undoubtedly profit them much more than does that of a little Latin or French, or even a good deal of algebra. The case of pupils who mean to go forward to higher schools is different, and they might very well take both Latin and algebra. But on the wholo very few Standard VII pupils, except iv a few schools in and around Dunedin, contemplate an advance to any higher educational institution. In conclusion, reference is made to the fidelity and z^al of the board's teachers as a

i Mr W. C. M'Donall, who haß been manager of the Oamnru branch of the National Bank for the past 10 years, was on the 14th presented with a purse of ,IGo3Ovb, and his wife with several valuable articles of jewellery. About 40 persons were preßent, and Mr J. H. Barr made the presentation. Expressions of regret were made at the departure of Mr M'Douall, who has won the esteem of all he has come in contact with. ; Mr M'Douall feelingly replied to the remarks of the gentleman who made the presentation, Mr M'Douall leaves for Dunedin this week,