EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 920, 17 July 1869, Page 15

EDUCATION BOARD.

, The half-yearly meeting of the Educa^ tion;Bp*rdtook place on Thursday, at {the Superintendents joffice, at ; noon.. His Honour^ i^e/DepniyPSuperintenclent |odcupied" the^. chair j- > and^ 'Messrs! i Reidi M'LeanJ andtiislop, the Secretary, were present', f i .>,<'.;'< ""' f ir ' - i r • Mr'HiSloi? read the minute* or the previous "me'ejbing, 5 , which werb passed. OSe, then reported, the' names of the following teachers; who had been , appointed' during; the 'half-year :— lsabella-Hay,' Bchoolmis-, tressy Middle, District. School, in the rdom of Miss Hercus, resigned ; : Margaret Fisher/ pttpil teacher,' do ;< John Stables, second, master,,, South Dunedin School,} Margaret Andrews, schoolmistress, Anderson's Bay ; Janet Currie, WestTaieri,; Rhoda Scott, Que"enstown ; J. A. Sheppard, Teviot ; )W.) W. Montgomery, Pleasant valley* ; a Andrew I ' Muirayf 4 Mataura ; W. Hay,' ; James' M^STair, Te' Houka'; James k Orr,: Mertbnji James M'Neil, Kaitangata; W. Hardy, Waireka'V Elizabeth Battson;' pupil teacher; North Dunedin School. Mr M^ean asked whether the nameri were brought up for the sanction of the' Board. > Mr HisiiOP said that they had been alreacfy sanctioned, both by the Board and the Executive,' and that he merely brought them, up to report. " J Mr Hislop submitted the Grammar Sohools Ordinance passed by the Provincial Counoil last' session, which was as follows : ; — • > Whereas it is expedient that in certain districts where the .population has increased more extensively than in the -purely agricultural and pastoral districts and where Municipal Institutions TfaveTieeif adopted to make provision to enable certain Main District Sohools established under the " Education Ordinance 1864" to be advanced to the position of Grammar Sohools and also to make provision for the appointment and remuneration of masters and other teachers thereto. Be it therefore enacted by tho Superintendent of the Provinoe of Otago with the advioe and consent of the Provincial Council thereof as follows : — I. This Ordinance shall be termed and may be cited and referred to as "The Grammar Sohools Ordinance 1869." 11, The Otago Education Board (hereinafter oalled " The Board") shall on receiving an application in writing from any of the r» spective District School Committees of the Educational Districts of Tokomairiro Lawrence Port Chalmers and Oarnaru or from the District School Committee of any oiher Educational District which may from time to time be authorised by a resolution of the Provincial Council to make such application convert any Main School in any of the said Educational Districts into and establish the same as a Grammar School. lIL Every such. Grammar School shall be under the charge of a Head Master whose duty in addition to a general supervision over the whole establishment shall be to teach such of the pupils belonging to his Sohool as are qualified to receive such instruction in the higher branches of education and such Head Master shall be appointed by th 9 Board on the recommendation of the District School Committee hereinafter called "The Committee."

IV. There shall be appointed to every such Grammar School by the Committeo a Second Master a Schoolmistress and such number of Assistant or Pupil Teaohera ao may -be from time to time expressly sanctioned t>y the Board. V. The engagement of all Head and other Masters and Mistresses of Grammar Sohools shall be made under and regulated by the provisions of the 20th tfeotion of the Education Qrdinanoo 1864. VI. The Committeo shall have the same control over Grammar Schools as over ordinary Diitnot Schools : Provided always that any reguUtious made by them relating to school foes hours of attendance length of vacations and the number of ordinary holidays shall receive the aanotion of the Board before coming into effeot. VII. Not loss than tho following rates of salary ahaU be paid by the Board from funds to bo voted by tho Superintendent and Counoil (that is to say) :— Head Matter two hundred pounds per annum Second Master ono hundred pounds por annum School niiatress seventy-five pounds per annum and the Committee from school fees and other moneys at their disposal shall make up the said salaries to the following rates {that is to say) t— Head Master two hundred and seventy-fire pounds per annum feoond Mas. ter one hundred and fifty pounds per annum Schoolmistress one hundred pounds per annum inoluiivrt of the amount paid in each case by the Board. VIIU The Board shall hare power to provide additional sohool aooomruodatton for any Grammar School established under this Ordinance and a residence for the Head Master thereof out of funds to be appropriated by the Superintendent and Provincial Council for those purposes, IX. The provisions of the " Fdnoatlon Ordinance 1864" as amended by the 11 ifidnoation Ordinance 1864 Amendment Ordi~ nanoe 1865" shall be anpli«d so far as th«t s«mo are applicable to Grammar Schools esta> blishftd under this Ordiasnoe in the samo manner ft* to District Schools. , > He said that in answ4? to reanisitiona fro» wbools iuUnsUd, , b*4/urni*hedj

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fchem-mth>oop*ies of the OrdinariceV khd tßatf applications had beWfbrwardedirom) them-asking to be constituted Grammar -Schools. . -. , > > .i ■ ; >' On the second Clause being read 1 , it was riioved' and carried- that the-.appli-cations f rob the Tort Chalmers; ,oamaru, Lawrence) and Tokomairirb I'School1 ' School Committees be referred to the consideration of the Government. * 1 1 The Deputy- Superintendent moved « That in. the opinion of the Board gentlemen who had received a university education should, ccnteris paribus,' be preferred.to the appointment of head master of the proposed Grammar Schools. 3 ' He said that he thought, that gentlemen who had received a university education bad a claim to be preferred. Mr. Bbid expressed a similar opinion. ■i Mr 1 Reid presumed that the greater number of these teachers had received university educations. Mr Hislop said that a large, proportion had," and 'inbre 'especially'' ; of 'those who j would be 1 affected by the^Qfdinatice. A memorial from ;the residents .of High'cliffe was' read, in. favour of whioh a d^puta*iori was. in attendance. The memorial stated that there were in the district 41 children between the ages of 4 and 14, and 22 children under 4 years old, It was signed by' 18 heads i of families who were willing to pay the usual expenses of a uchool, and asked that the means of education for the children of -the district should be provided. Mr Hisiop said that a similar memorial had been, presented a year before from the same district, but that consideration of it was deferred, from a belief that there were not sufficient children living at a great enough distance from the existing school to justify another school being granted. The settlers had, however, pressed the matter, and it remained with the Board to decide.

Mr M'Lean pointed out that from the return of children shown in the memorial, it appeared that 4 of them lived 5 miles distant, 8 of them 4 miles, and all the others from 3 miles to 1\ mile, so that out of the 41, only 12 had any extra distance to go. One of the deputation remarked that there was preat difficulty in the children going to school ; there were no proper roads, the land was all bush, and such roads as were made were in a fearful state.

Another of the deputation pointed out that the district did not get a fair share of what was granted by the Education Board for Bchool purposes. They had sent in an application two years before asking for a school, and had net had one granted yet. Mr Hislop said that the application had been made more than 12 months previously, but the request had not been granted for the reasons he had stated. Mr Reid said that it appeared to be a side school which was required, and he thought it desirable to place the means of education within the reach of every person in the country if possible.

The memorial was referred to tho favourable consideration of the Government, as were also similar memorials from Tuturau, Shotover Ferry, and Kuri Bush.

Mr .1". Hughf.B, on behalf of the Waitahuna School Committee, asked for a female assistant teacher, or a sewing mistress, at that school. The application had been made in January last, but tho Executive had then deferred its consideration. There were 61 children attending the school, a number of them being girls competent to learn sewing, and needing tho services of a femalo toucher. Tho school was 15 miles from that at Wetherstonos, and eight miles from that at Lawrence, tho nearest. About L2O per annum would be sufficient to pay a mistress for about throe hours aday. When the application was previously made, it was thought that granting it would involve a gonoral principle, and the matter was postponed until after tho Provincial Council had mot. Ho might mention that ho understood tho present niaator had a sister up thoro who would be glad, and who was fully competent, to undertake tho duties.

Mr Hislop said that Mr Hughes had stated tho case very clearly. Tho Board, at tho time of tho Application, thought if they granted this, thoy must grant others of a similar oharaotor, which had boon made. It wm nocosaary for the Exooutivo in considering this oaoo, to oonsidor probably a dozen or more which would bo made from other schools in various parts of the provinoe. Mr Rktd thought if a littlo assistance were given to suoh schools it would lead to a larger attendance of girls than there was at present. He would like to know whether the Board wore in a better position, to grant the application than before tho Council met, Mr WjsXop replied that it wm. ThfIDa?UTV-SUPBRIIfT»IfDBNTsAId that of course retrenchment was n very good thins,, but ho did not think it ought to be •ppflW to tdttottton.

j "Mr Reid >■ said -that while Boorach was being' said about the higher; branches of i female education,' they. l ought! not to ine-. gleet the rudimentary portions. ■ ■ The matter was rnferred to the favourable consideration ofc the Government.) f

Mr Hughes asked that it-might be one one of the first claims considered.

•The DEPUTV-SuPBRINXJBNDBNT'Said ,it would be so of course. from priority oii application. Applications for repairs to certain schools under the Ordinance which made two-thirds of the expenses payable by the Government, were recommended to the Executive, subject to the usual certificates.

A memorial from a number of settlers at Tapanui was presented, pointing out the pressing necessity for having ' the 'district proclaimed an Educational one The present school was a side school, having now 34 scholars. ' The memorial was signed by 44 heads of families. It was decided to grant the request of the memorialists ; the making the school into a main school to be postponed until the Inspector had visited and reported' on it.

The School Committee at Wetherstones asked for an increase of L 25 per annum to the teacher's salary, as the num' er of scholars was increasing, and the teacher giving great satisfaction. The Board, however, decided that they were not warranted in granting the request. The appointment of Mr Taylor as Bubinspector of schools, was formally sanctioned by the Board.

A draft prospectus and bye-laws of the •High School, prepared by the Rector, were submitted to the Board, and a Committee, consisting of the Deputy-Superin-tendent, Mr Reid, and Mr M'Lean were appointed to confer with the Rector and the Secretary upon it.

With regard to the Ordinance passed by the Provincial Council relative to the leasing of Educational Reserves, the Secretary was instructed that they could be leased when the notice of the Governor's assent to the Ordinance appeared in the Gazette ; the usual course with regard to the upset price to be adhered to.