EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 1296, 30 September 1876, Page 6

EDUCATION BOARD.

A special meeting of the Education Board was held on the 18th. Present— His Honour the Deputy- Superintendent (in the chair), and Messrs Davie, Green., and Hislop (Secretary). The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.

EECOGNITION OP TEACHER.

On the recommendation of the Secretary, it was resolved that Mr Kirby should be recognised as a teacher under the Board.

APPLICATIONS FOB TEACHERS.

The following deferred applications, for teachers were considered : — Invercargill, Hampden, East Clutha, Havelock, Caversham, Kaitangata, and Waipori, each asked for a pupil teacher; Arrow, Cromwell, each a, sewing teacher ; and Maheno, either a pupil teacher or sewing mistrees. The Secretary recommended that if the pupil teachers were sanctioned, it should be on the condition that they will pass thft examination to be held next week, and subject to the Inspector reporting that they had qualified in every v respect.— -Sanctioned, and Inspector's recommendation approved of. NEW SCHOOIsi The f ollowing report was read by the Secretary: — " 1. Hedgehope. — Fourteen families, twentyfive children. Locality in course of 'settlement. Difficult to say where school should be. Inspector might bo instructed to visit, and report after careful investigation. "2. The Gap, and East Winton. — Very strong feeling exists as to where the ' school should be planted. This is also in Southland, like the above. Inspector might be requested to report, « 3_4, Present Forest Hill School and South Forest Hill. — It is difficult to decide whether an additional school should be here. No. 3 school is held in the church, and before deciding that a new school should be at either place, it would be necessary for an inspector to visit, and inquire carefully. " Note on the above cases.— All of these are in the Forest Hill district, now in course of settlement, and every year presents the question of school location in a new aspect. I therefore consider that great caution should be exercised in fixing on school sites here, as in some other new districts.

"5. Mavis and. Puni Bush.— Four or five miles east of Invercargill, and from 2i to 3^ miles west of One. tree Point School. Do not think it an Urgent case. Inspector might visit and report, "6. Broad Bay. Peninsula. — The following schools are in the Peninsula district : — (1) Anderson's Bay, (2) High Cliffe, (3) N. E. Harbour, (4) Sandymount, (5) Portobello. Considerable difficulty is experienced in dealing with the question of schools here, it being more a question of roads and accessibility . than distance. With the improvement of road communication, the distance from schools is practically lessening in a number of cases. NorthEast Harbour school on the one side and Portobello on the other are within reach of a good many, if not all. the Broad Bay children, though by- and bye I have no doubt that the numbers will be so great as to < warrant some provision being made for them, either by a new school, or the re - adjustment of the other schools. In the course of a. week or two I hope to be able to perambulate the entire locality, and submit a very complete report. "7. Waikaka. — A school for the settlers on this block (deferred payment land on Mi* M'Nab's run) was sanctioned a good while ago, but I could not confidently report as to the best spot for the school till lately, when, on my recommendation, a site of ten acres was set apart by Government. A school should now b? authorised to be built.

" 8. Upper Waitaki. — Nine settlers, having twenty-five school children, propose to have a sort of boarding-school at the Upper Ferry (Ch. Hills). The following are the distances of the several fnmilies from the proposed school, the nearest being three miles, viz.: — Threo miles, one family ; four miles, two families ; five miles, two families ; ten miles, one family; fifteen miles, one family ; and thirty - five, two families. They ask a subsidy, but the scheme seems quite impracticable. " 9. Otaria.— Ten settlers, having thirty- two school children, all within two miles from proposed school, except cne family or two, who are four miles. Looks a proper case, but the same difficulty occurs in other deferred payment localities in course of settlement as to best site. Inspector should visit on his way to the South. '•10. Athol.— Eight settlers, twenty - seven school children, but two families of nine children between them are the one six, the other four, miles from proposed school; the others are within a mile. A deferred payment block being settled on four miles distant. This is a case for report by Inspector. Perhaps a school may be wanted for deferred payment settlers. Athol is between Vvinton and Kingston.

" 11. Upper Shotover.— Tnere are twenty* seven children of school age. Eight of these are four miles or upwards from school, Almost

all the fathers are miners. It is a difficult case to decide. A school in exactly similar circurn'stances was sanctioned at Mace Town, also among the mountains, but it has been closed because of small attendance.

" 12. Wyndham Township, — Ten families ; thirty- one children of school age. All within a mile. The nearest school is at Mimihau, four miles distant.

" 13. South Wyndham. — Six families ; eighteen children of school age. The settlers are evidently in earnest, for they have subscribed L 75 for a building. A case for inquiry by Inspector. "14. Nevis.— Thirteen families ; thirty children of school age. Four children upwards of five miles; four at three and a half miles; chiefly miners. A strong case. "15. Table Hill, Canada Keef. -Fourteen families ; thirty-three children of school age, Have built a school; ask HO for fittings. Strong caso. ■

"16. Mansford Bay.— Thirty - six families; one hundred children of school age. Scarcely any more than one and a quarter mile from school. A case for inquiry, which will be made.

" 17. Ravensbourne.— Needs no further report. A strong case. "18. Kinloch and Glenorchy." --In reference to the first four applications, the inspector was instructed to report as to the necessity for the schools, and to appoint sites therefor ; to report in regard to 5 and 6 ; No. 7 was approved, and referred to the Executive ; No. 8, postponed for the present ; the Inspector to report in reference to 9 and 10 ; and as to No. 11, to enquire whether a building could be got temporarily, in which case a teacher is td be appointed ; No. 12 was approved of ; Inspector t© report upon No. 13 ; in regard ta No. 14, a decision similar to the application of the Upper Shotover was come to ; No. 15 was granted ; in regard to No. 16, it was minuted that there was no necessity for it at present ; No. 17 was approved of, and referred to the Executive ; and No. 18 was declined for the present.

KAITANGATA.

The Secretary stated that the master at Kaitangata had requested that his school should be raised from a side to a main school. This would necessitate the salary being raised from! 1.75 to LIOO a year. The teacher was a very, efficient one. — Sanctioned.

TUAPEKA MOUTH.

The teacher at Tuapeka Mouth applied to have the status of that school raised from a temporarily 'subsidised one to a side school. The salary would then be increased from L6O to L 75 a year. There were 32 ohildren attending the school. — Sanctioned. ' ' ; The Board then adjourned.