EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2199, 23 April 1896, Page 22

EDUCATION BOARD.

The meeting of the Education. Board, held on the 15th, was attended by Mr H. Ciark (chairman), Messrs T. Mackenzie, M.H.R., A. M'Kerrow, J. M'Rae Gallaway, D. Bjrrie, M. Cohen, and J. J. Ramsay. ELECTION OP CHAIRMAN. The Retiring Chairman said that that being the first meeting of the new board the first businecs was the election of the chairman for the next 12 months. He might say in vacating the chair that he had to thank the members of the board for the hearty support they had accorded him during his occupation of the position, and for the great courtesy they had shown him. He was very conscious of his own failings and defects, yet he had been so well supported by the members of the board that he believed that, on the whole, the business had been carried on satisfactorily. Of course members differed in opinion on a great many matters, and that had been the case during the past 12 months, but he was glad to be able to say that during the whole of that period a very kindly feeling bad existed* between members of the board even when they diff«red. He hoped that kindly feeling would long continue, as its existence made matter's so much more satisfactory. Mr Borbib had very much p'easure in proposing Mr Cohen for the office of chairman for the mib year. He was sure that Mr Cohen had taken a gre&t interest ia the business of the board, and had done more, especially in connection with the new classification, scheme, than many other members of the board could possibly have found time for. He did not think that any member of the board duriDg his connection with it; had taken such an active interest in all inatisrs connected with education in Otago as Mr Cohen, had taken. Mr M'Kerkow had much pleasure in seconding the motion, and endorsed all that Mr Borrie had said. The work which Mr Cohen bad attempted at the feoard, though it might not have come out exactly as he (Mr Cohen) might have wished, was in the right direction, and he thought Mr Cohen was well deserving of election as chairman of the board. There .was no other nomination, and Mr Cohen, being that unanimously appointed, then took the chair. Tbe Chairman said he had to 'return the members his sincere thanks tor tha exceedingly great honour they had paid him in unasimeusly electing him to such an important office. It would be bis endeavour on all occasions to uphold the traditions of the chair which had been filled so worthily by gentlemen whose enthusiasm for, and devotion to, the system of education in the district had assisted to place the national system on, he hoped, a lasting foundation. He was sure he would receive the loyal support of the members of the board, and for bis part he could promise that he would treat them with the courtesy which one gentleman should exbcajd to another in the couwe of debate. He.f«lb sure th-y were all auimated by the one desire to promote the cause of education which thtsy all had sincertly at; heart. Mr Mackenzie congratulated the chairman upon his appsintment, and said he was sure Mr Mr Cohen would do all that was required from him in the position. He also drew attention to the presence of Mr Gallaway, who+Jie said, was one of his old^nfc friends, and whom he was exceedingly pleased to find amongst them. ¥x Qahatos said bo was naoh. obliged Id

the members for their kindly reception. 16 wfti tco early for him to make promises, but be hoped to adopt tho suggestion of the chairman, for no matter bow much members might differ in debate, there .was no earthly reason why a kindly feeling should not prevail, and ho hopsd to act on those lines. Mr Ramsay was not pre*eat at this stage of the proceedings, but on his entering the room the Chairman welcomed him back to a place at the board table. ALBANY STREET SCHOOL. The Architect reported that he had visited tha Albany street School, and seen the head master about the rearrangement of the classes. The head master thought it would be quite impossible to arrange them s itinfactorily in the present rooms, what be wanted being another room in which to hold Standard 111. He was quite satisfied with the large roomf, but would like a little more light into one of them, which could easily be got by pu'ting another s.sh in each window above the present ones. The architect thought accommodation could ba made for 25 more pupils iv Standard 111 by removing the partition between the room occupied by that class and the lobby, thereby adding the lobby to tne room. Afc present there were two entrances, one of which would, he thought, be quite sufficient. If that were done, the room occupied by a class from SUnd&rd 111 could be got for Standard I, which was at present fraught in a room off the infant room. That he believed to be the best arrangement that could be made in the present building. In the course of a conversational discussion, Mr Gallaway expressed the opinion that the board would not, in dealing with the question of the accommodation at the Albany street School, be justified in taking into consideration the proximity of other schools. So long as the law gave parents the right to send their children (o the school they thought fit, the board must provide accommodation for them. Mr Ramsay remarked that a mistake had been made originally in placing the jchooh so close together. The Chairman observed that the Union street School was the oldest of thethree schools in that portion of the town, and the two nr>w schools j had maintained their position while the Albany street School had more than maintained its placß. He suggested that the architects report should be passed on to the school committee, and that they should ba asked if it met with their views. Mr Ramsay moved in that direction, and the motion was carried without distent. INSURANCE OF TKACHBKS' LIVES The Commissioner of the Government Life Insurance department wrote: "It has been represented to me that your board would, if applied to, probably consent to deduct monthly from the salaries of teachers in its employ premiums in respect of policies effected with this department. I m«y gay tha% such an arrangement has cxis l ed rVr a nurobsr of jears with several of the Education Boards iv the colony and it> largely taken advantage of by the teachers. The premiums are deducted monthly from the salaries on the authority of written orders signed by the teachers, and paid into our accouut with the Bank of New Zealand. I therefore beg to solicit your a«i a i*t mcc in an arrangement that will no doubt b'j of mutual advantage to the teachers and this departniflnb." The Secretary mentioned that an arrangement such as that which was desired by the commissioner was in operation for 14 or 15 years, but it came to be such a tax on the office that the board decided to stop it. It was a saving to the Government Insurance department but not to anyone else. | Mf Bo brie said it looked as though the teachers could not be safely entrusted with their owu money to pay their own premiums. Oq the motion c.f air Ramsay, it was decided to decline the request. waipori. The teacher at the Waipori School (Mr Charles Kerr) wro*e with reference to Mr Robert Cotton's complaint ngaiusb him of neglecting the school and annoying the settlers by counting their sheep and suing them for treipass. He had, he said, never neglected the school by counting Mr Cotton's or any other settler's sheep, for when he had occasion to perform that very necessary duty it was always done after school hours, and on the occasions when he attended the court he got leave of absence from his committee and also advised the board of his intended absence beforehand. Mr Cotton was disingenuous iv saying that he annoyed the settlers, for Mr Cotton was the only settler who pretended to have a grievance, as he was the only one who attempted or wished to have a 1 monopoly of all the grazing land in the district. Ifc w«s fal c and slanderous to siy that "it was the general opinion that Mr Kerr was acting from purely spiteful motives," and since that statement was made public he had been every day receiving from his neighbours warm expressions of sympathy and hearty indignation against Mr Cotton for his absurd_charge. Iv prosecuting Mr Cotton for trespass he was not acting on his own b-half at all, but on that of the resideub* of Waipori generally. Ab-ufc two years ago he (the teacher) was earnestly pressed to make use of what clerical skill he posiessed to obtain for the settlers »n area of land for grazing purposes to the end that they might supplement their greatly reduced income* derived from gold miuing. He was successful is this, and the Ltud Board, to simplify matters, issued a lease of the land in his name. Mr Cotton, who previoutlj had the right of grazing over this land, naturally felt aggrieved at hii succea*, and henoa hie attempt to discredit him with bis superiors in the vain hope that he might be induced to lurn his back on his fellow residents. His action ai secretary ef the Commonage Committee, far from Being detrimental to the success of the school, w*s directly helpf al thereto ; for if it were not for the inoreased means of livelihood derived from keeping a few head of- cattle many of tbe families would have been compelled to leave Waipori altogether. The following letter on the subject, from the secretary of the Waipori School Committee, was also read :—: —

The correspondence re Mr Cotton's complaint against Mr Kerr was considered at a fully-attended meeting of the Waipori School Committee tonight (31sb March). As the complaint leflects on both committee and master, if was considered advisable to correct any impression that might arise from Mr Cotton's mhstatements. Mr Kerr, as secretary of the Commonage Committee, is lesEee of '* considerable area of land held by him on behalf of the miners and small settlera in the district. His efforts to prevent Any encroachment ou their rights by neighbouring runholders have never, to our kno^le-tee, detracted from his efficiency as a tcinoi vi tuter ; while they have materially a*s!«te I i\n tchool attendance returns by enabling families to remain here who would otherwise be UHable to maintain themselves in comfort, and the school committee cordially approve of Mr Kerr's conduct of this business.

The only occasion which involved Mr Kerr's absence from the school was the recent lawsuit against Mr Cotton, and the master first obtained leave of absence from the committee (who recognised the importance to the community of the steps taken) and then sent notice of arrangemeats made to the board, His action was iuatified

by the decision of the court, which was f» his favour. Mr Ramsay moved that the board decline to intetfere in the matter. He thought that if the. board bad any right to interfere it should say that there was no reason to censure tha teacher. Mr Gallaway suggested that Mr Cotton should be informed that the school committee haviug endorsed tbe action of the sahaolmastai the board did not feel called upon to interferes The matter was in the hands of tbe settlers* If they disapproved of the action of the toachec* and school committee they ''could replace thfl' latter by a new committee ab the election this month. Aftsi* a dejuV ory duoussion, ib was agreed to inform Mr Cotton that there was nothing before the board to ju-.tify it in interfering. GYMNASTIC TEACHES. The committee appointed to report on tha subject of providing instruction ia gyaiaaitics recommended that the service* o{ a tea^h"!* o£ gyran&ctics should be utilised as follows : — On Siturday rmrniugi — At Danedia fortnightly, for teachers, training col'ego students, and pupil teacher>y ia the High School Gymnasium, if the High School Governors wiil give the ÜB9 of it;* at Mil f on, once ia four wosks, foe teachers and cadets from Kaifcungata, Balclutha, and Lawrence ; and at Oata&ru once ia four weeks foe* teachers and cadets. For the Dunedin and suburban soaoo!» — Ab the Normal School, Albany streafc, aud Anderson's Bay,, two afternoons a week. The committee re*ported that Mr Hanna would be willing t«. undertake all the above at the same salary as be received formerly from the Normal School—* namely, £100. It was believed that arrange*tnents could be made with the High Schools:, Board that would euibla Mr Hanna to give more tima' to the performance of his . duties under the Education Board. It was agreed to omploy,Mc Hanna as instructor of gymnastics during the available one-third of his time at a salary of £100, and to refer the details to a comm Uee consisting of Messrs MacGcegor, GalUway, and tho chair* man. . A COMPLAINT FROM STONEMASONS. The Dunedin Operative Musone' Sooieby brought under the board's notice what they considered to be an injustice to the trade — fchafe was, iv erecting wooden additions to sfcona schools, as, for instance, in tho Norfch-Essfi Valley.^ In many places where there was an abundance of stone new school* were built oE wood, nnd the writers urged the board to remember the stonenmons and to give them a share of the public money that nas spent in the erection of schools. It was decided that in future alternative tenders be called for stone and wood. MISCELLANEOUS, r "* Clfaiau from the Kensington, Anderson's B&y, Wttrc-pi, Siwyer*' Biy, Cm ton, Wait** hunn West, and Mot FUt School Committees, for balf the cost of improvement?, wero granted. ■ < Mr J. Gceen, M.H.R., wrote thanking the board for re-electing him ns its representative, on the Board of School Cotnm'siioners. The meeting of the Education Beard, held on Tiu~sday, was attended by Me r srg M.. Cohen (chairman), H Clark, D Barrie, J. M. QalUw*y, J. J. Rnmsay, A. M'Kerrow, and T. Maclie- zie, M.H.R. APPOINTMENTS. The following appointments were confirmed !— Catherine P. Main, head teacher, Rongaheroj Annie Boyd, head, teacher, Kokoumu; William F. Wattera, first assistant, Tokouia'riro ; Mary A. Straohaii, female as«istanb, Waikouaiti ; M. E. K. Taj lor, female assittai.t, Mosgiel; Grace M 'Naught, female a;sisUnt, Oamaru South ; A. M. Ross, female assistant, Mofgiel; Owen James Hodge, first male assistant, Normal School. N RESI3NATIONS v "" Ihe following resignations w<re accepted :-«. He.-htrh C. Jones, head teacher, Waihotno ; Annie Boyd, he»<i teacher, Round Hill ; Mary A. Sfcrnchau, mi*treJß, Miller's Flat ; John A. Johnson, first assistant, Normal School ; Win. F. Wutters, second assistant, o*m*ru South { Margaret E. K. Taylor, third assistant, Moßgiel. MOSGIEt. The following report from Inspector Goyen, on the application of the Mcsgial School Committee to have tho Mosgiel School raifed to the status of a district h'gh school," was read :— The number of pupils who have passed Standard VI and are now attending the 13 schools named in the application is 33, and the number attending the same schools at the data of the last examination war 20. The following list shows ths distribution of tbe 33 children now att-ndise school :— Tab ora 3 pupils, Taieri Ferry 4, Easb Taierii!, Mo^giel 12, Maurgatua 2, Wyliie's Crossing, OutramS, West Taieri 1, Henley 1, North Taieri 1. The remaining three tchooU have no pupils. A considerable proportion cf these children are, as I was informed by Mr Dryden, of the Mosgiel Factory, applicants for employment, and intend to remain at school only until they obtaiß appointments. I could not, of course, visit all th- scho»ls to ascertain how many of the 3.'{ children would attend the lush school if it wero est< Wished, and the conimitree had not procured this information for me; but I thiok it highly probable that those at Tahora, Taieri Ferry, Maun< gatua, West Taieri, Outrano, and Henley, a total of 16 pupils, would not attend it. This reduces the number of probable atteudan's to 17, and of these some will no doubt go to work. The probability, theiefore, is that, if the MosgM School vrere raised to the rank of a distiict high school the average attendance of the class for secondary wcrk would not exc«d 12. The committee of tho school desire not f.o much that a district high school should be established at Mosgiel as that provision should be made for teaching the children after they have passed Standard VI. They would, they j informed me, be quite satisfied with the pro« ! gramme of secondary work the inspectors hava recommended for Class Kin their annual report. (See tbe report.) My opinion is that the adaption of this programme would render unnecessary tha existence of district high schools ia such places m Mo<giel and Fort Chalmers. In reply to Mr Gallaway, The Secretary stated that Class X included those pupils who bad passed the Sixth Standard ! and for whom no provision was at present mads in the schools. This was a matter, however, that was dealt with in th* inspectors' amutal report. _ It was decided to consider tbe report when the inspectors' report comes up at next meet* iog. SYSTEM OF ELECTIONS TO THH BOABD. i The Oamaru North and Arthur street School Committees forwarded resolutions sugge*trog that an alteration should be made in die system of elections to the education Board. Mr Ramsat did not tbink the proposal oE the bnard to have the voting on the one day would be satisfactory. -All country committee* could not meet on any one day that might bo appointed. On the other hand, if Saturdaf night were proposed it would, no doubt, ba objected to by the Dunedin committees ; yet i(t would be the only night that could be fixed thaO would be suitable in the country. Mr Bobbie expressed the opinion that Satus* day was a most unsuitable day in the country. Mr Ramsat said that many members of school committees in the country wer« rabMfcext, miners, and 6heuer.fi. and beics »w«y all tU»

4treek they would be disfranchised. He thought (Jl week should be allowed in whioh to take the voting. The result of voting could not get Abroad .very much within that time. v The Chairman thought that if Saturday - flight were appointed the Dunedin and suborban school committees would take no exception to it. Mr Gallawa* suggested that a oircular should bs sent out by the board to the committees go as to learn their wishes on the .matter. A ohange in the method of voting was no doubt necessary. Ib was decided—" That copies of the resolution carried by the board at their last meeting Übe> forwarded to school committees in the educational district with the request to favour the fcoard with an expression of opinion thereon at fthe earliest possible moment." THE QUESTION OF HOME LESSORS, The following letter was read :— Port Chalmers, April 14, 1896. JUie Chairman. Ofeago Hoard of Education, Dunedin. Sir,— l respectfully submit to the Otago Board Of Education the attached correspondence in preference to the way sohool work is being done in their district. You will observe the correspondence commenced In May 1894. The matter was referred to by me ftt the annual meeting held here in April 1895, and the correspondence continues to the end of last year. I may say I don't wish to make a complaint against the teachers here, and this is one ■rea-on why I have delayed my complaint. The -fault, seems to be with the board, and the board only, and I address them with the hope that they ■will go to the bottom of the trouble and effect ■tome permanent improvement. When I wrote on the 10th M.ty-1894 the late lector of our school replied that I was under a misapprehension, and that there was no overwork. When I mentioned the matter at the annual meeting much the same answer was given. At ihe same time, the late rector and the teachers greatly reduced the work, and I had very little cause of complaint. After the inspectorial examination this last year things greatly altered, »nd I had to again take up the matter. The further correspondence shows the result. The children are called to school at 9 a.m. to do* Iback work— tbat is, half an hour before the usual time ; they have to forfeit thrir recn-ation, curtail their dinner hour, be kept in after school, and finish up with home work. Of course, the whole of this does not happen to one child, except, perhaps, as an exception ; but it is a common routine of overwork. Observe Mr M'Lymont's attitude to my child. Her state of health makes it desirable she should not be overworked. I object to her doing home Work ; he keeps her in to do it. I protest, ami he replies : " I should "he glad if you would suggest a way out of the difficulty, involving a*s it does a eavour of ' partiality, while with*the rest of the class work is compulsory." There is no alternative ; no coniideration can be shown even if the pupils are ill. It is the natural outcome of the system. Now, notice the rector's reply when I ask that ■ the overwork should be-stopped. He says : "Your request that 1 should advise the teachers of the Fourth' and Fifth Standards not to set horn* work to your children I cannot comply with, as, without going into reasons of the advisability or inadvisability of such a step, it would be foolish of me to issue an order that I have not the authority to enforce." He is powerless, although in charge. Why? Because of your system, which makes every teacher responsible for his percentage of passes. In this respect every teacher is an authority unto himself, and is his own master. The rector cannot " issue an order he has not the authority to enforce." As a teacher who cannot come up to the ideal and produce tho percentage must fail under the board's system, he will naturally not brook any interference — his very existence depends on it. The Educational Institute last year dealt with the question of keeping in and home work. Inspector Fitzgerald is reported to have said that the board issued their circular in 1893 calliog attention to the matter. It was said by Mr Smith that this circular only forbade keeping in when for the purpose of specially preparing pupils for the annual examinations, and the circular of this year drew teachers' attention to that resolution. If, this is so, the board approve of keeping in, as a general thing, and nave in so many words indicated that teachers must cram and overwork to keep up with the standard set down by them. Now, I ask why such illegal practices continue to exist under your supervision? What would happen if an ordinary tradesman or manufacturer were to work his apprentices in such a mannermake them woik early and late, and take work home to do at night, stop their recreation, and curtail their meal hours? They would be punished. To my mind, the board give a practical lesson in law-breaking, and they ignore consideration for the physical health and devel* pment of the children placed under their care The board might, I think, consider whether they have not subordinated their true duty of giving good education to all children to a bad system of cram, with the one object of producing annual parliamentary reports. The object.pf the Bysr.eni is to gain certificates and to build up percentages by any means, so that the board dhould show resulte that would gain for them the reputation of being at the top of the education ladder in "New Zealand, and that they should pso idly wear the " Blue Ribbon of Education," as a member of the board observes. Why is there this insane competition between the boards and struggle for top place 1 Such a competition must only end in evil, and goodness knows evils enough have already grown Out of the system as practised here. Under Inspector Petrie the system grew, nnd he made a reputation tbat has secured increased .remuneration in Auckland, which made a bid for -his services. This is a strong inducement to the present head inspector to continue in the -same -course, for nothing succeeds like success. And under his ' influence are not the board simply pushing on the same system, apparently with the dread that Auckland will run them hard for first place? And this dread h«s indeed become acute When it has been found necessary to appoint two new inspectors to work it up to a higher, state of perfection. Tbat the teachers recognise this, and are already feeling the pressure, is showing itself in the extra work they are<pntting on the pupils this year. i The board, I hope, will act wisely, and come 1 back to a natural course. Give the pupils a fair day's work, as set down by law, carrying the work steadily throughout th- year. Make the duty of the inspection simply what it was originally intended it should be— an inspection to Bhcw the work was being faithfully done, and that the money voted was honestly expended on good education and the making of good gad upright citizens. — I am, <fee, 6. W. Sampson. ' A conversational discussion followed, in the course of which the Secretary read tiro - circulars that had been issued to teachers, requesting 'them not to keep in children after school hours and to give them no homo'lestons. He remsrked tbat these circulars bad been acted upon by a great number of teachers, and (hat there was not now one-fourth of the home Work that was formerly given. It wm eventually agreed — " That a copy of the board's regulation No. 1893, and of the resolution carried in March 1895, be forwarded to Mr Sampson, and that the attention of Mr Kennle be particularly directed to the same, ' -with a direction tbat it is in his power, if he detm* it necessary to do so, to stop home lessons." OTAKOU. Mr Glaep, » member of the Otakou School Committee, waite 1 on the board respecting the •ppointmarit of a bead, teacher to that school, • jhnd-aitid the board had sent down to the committee the names 'of two teachers. One of these w»b » single man, and «. single man would mot «Bit d» vm there,- A geod few of the settlers

were In favour of the other candidate, but in the meantime the great majority were in favour of the appointment of the acting teacher, if the latter could get his teaching certificate. It was pointed out that the acting teacher was not eligible, and could not be appointed, and it was resolved to appoint Mr James W. Hurdle, at present at Incholme, to the position. APPOINTMENT OF COHMITTBES. Messrs Borrio, M'Kerrow, Gallaway, and the chairman were appointed a Finance Committee, Messrs MacGregor, Gallaway, Bamsay, and Bowie the Normal School and School of Design Committee, and Messrs M'Kerrow and Ramsay a committee to check accounts. EXEMPTIONS. Permission for exemption from pupil i teachers' classes was granted to Thomas Hunter and R. T. Little, pupil teachers, on condition that they attended the university duricg the session. .NOTICES OF KOTION. Mr Ramsay gave notice to move at the next meeting: — " That tba inspectors be instructed to furnish the board with an annual report containing the names of teachers to whom marks have been awarded, and specifying the nature of the marks co awarded." The notice of motion by the Hon. J. MacGregob, having for its object the abolition ol bonuses, was renewed. ACCOUNTS. Accounts amounting to £6739 6s 7d were passed for payment. The board went into committee to consider various matters. j