OTAGO EDUCATION BOARD. THE ANNUAL REPORTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2360, 18 May 1899, Page 24

OTAGO EDUCATION BOARD. THE ANNUAL REPORTS.

The annual report of the secretary of the Education Board (Mr P. G. Pryde) for the year 1898 is now available, with the usual appendices.

At the close of 1897 there were 220 schools in operation in the district. Five schools were permanently closed, and four new schools opened. The schools at Round Hill, Waiwera, Adam's Flat, Kawarau, and Inch Valley were closed owing to the removal of the children of school age from the district. . New schools were opened at Tarara, Purakauiti, Sutton, and Clydevale. The number of schools in operation at the end of the year was 219. The board has sanctioned the establishment ,of schools at Momona, Tokarahi, Akatore Coast, and Deep Stream. At the end of the year buildings were in course of erection at Momona and Deep Stream. The following table shows the classification of the schools according to their average attendance: — Under 15 pupils, 24; 15 and under 20 pupils, 28; 20 and under 25 pupils, 18 ; 25 and under 50 pupils, 67 ; 50 and under 75 pupils, 27 ; 75 and under 100 pupils, 20 ; 100 and under 150 pupils, 8; 150 and under 300 pupils, 9; 300 and under 500 pupils, 11; 500 and upwards, 7 ; — total number of schools open at close of the year, 219. Number of aided or subsidised schools included in above, 4.There were in the board's service on the 31st of December 543 teachers, of which 223 were males and 288 females. There are 90 male heads of schools,' and 53 male and 76 female sole teachers. There were 88 pupil •teachers (28 male and 60 female) in the board's service at the end of the year. At the examination in July.last, 14 papsed in Class 1, 16 in Class 2 (four failing), and 17 in Class- 3 (two failing). At the examination applicants for employment as pupil teachers, 122 ■candidates presented themselves. Out of tliis number 57 passed, and 6 boys and 13 girls received appointment.

The abstract of the attendance which is j given is highly important. We give a sum- J mary of the elaborate table since 1887: — ',

The number of schools in each year was : — 1887, 183; 1888, 187; 1889, 190; 1890, 193; 1891, 196; 1892, 197; 1893, 202; 1894, 206; 1595, 214; 1896, 218; 1897, -220; 1898, 219.

Mr Pryde points out that the returns show a'decrease in the school attendance all round. There was a decrease of 416 in the number of pupils who attended at all during the year. The d.ecrease in the average ' attendance was 824, and the decrease in the number of pupils on the -rolls whea the year closed was 603. In Dunedin there was a decrease of 95 in the average attendance, while the number in attendance at the close of the year was 81 less than at the corresponding period of ,1897. The average attendance at the Dunedin echools has been steadily decreasing since the year 1887, when it reached the highest point, until at present the attendance is lower by 526 pupils than it was in -that -year. The attendance at the city schools was lower last year than it has been at any time since 1880. It should be stated, however, that but few parts of the district escaped the epidemic of measles, while the ordinary infantile disorders seem to have been more severe than usual.

Twenty-two scholarships ' (11 junior and 11 senior) were awarded at the December exaamination. In all 171 candidates competed, 40 for the senior and 131 for the junior scholarships. In addition to the scholarships awarded, 26 of the junior competitors and- 7 of the senior competitors gained sufficient marks to qualify them for free education at the Otago Boya' and Girls' High Schools for two years and three years respectively. The amount expended on scholarships for .the year was : Paid «to scholarship holders, £1314 ; examination expenses, £51 12s Id; — total, £1365 12s Id. There are at present 43 pupils receiving free education at the High Schools in Dunedin in connection with the scholarship scheme. The Board of Governors of the Boys' and Girk' High Schools has decided to restrict the free education privileges, so far as •junior scholarship competitors are concerned, to the 10 competitors next following those who gain scholarships, provided that they obtain at leasL 60 pcr 1 cent, of the attainable marks. Tins change will come into operation at the examination in December, 1599. The TruAnt. Inspector investigated 499 cases, and served notices in 312 cases. ' Penalty summonsed were iesued in 95 cases. There were 56 convictions, 34 cases were withdrawn on production of exemption certificates, and five cases were dismissed. The total fines for the year was £5 12s.

The number of students who attended the School of Art and Design during the past session was 402. This total includes 94 teachers and pupil teachers, 41 Training College student?, 105 students who attended the day classes, and 16?. who attended the evening classes. The number of students is now larger than it has over been and the proportion of certificates gained at the examinations in connection with the South Kensington Science and Art Department is noteworthy. The results have already been published and here it is only necessary to say that in science subjects of the 34 students examined, 14 gained first class, and 11 second class certificates, while nine failed. In art subjects, of the 210 examined, 80 secured first class certificates, and 12 passed, while 81 gained second class certificates, and 37 failed. The net cost of the school was £310 15s lid.

As regards technical instruction al the Tokomairiro District High School, 18 boys, with an average attendance of 15, were occupied with an analysis of soils. Twentythree, with an average attendance of 16, made various articles of woodwork for themselves, such as bookcases, tables, step 9, boxes, chiffoniers, and various pieces of fretwork, for the material of which they paid £13 17s Sd. The subsidy from the Government amounted lo £8 18s lOd. At the woodwork classes of the Balclutha District High School, held in the workshop of the Technical Classes Association, the average attendance for the first term was 27 and for the second 24. Stress is laid in the report on the good work of the Dunediu Technical Classes Association.

Reference is made to the inadequacy of the grant for the Training College. To maintain itin»-n»uioient condition, at least £2000 Bex

annum is required, while the Government grant is only £300." It is pointed out that it is not, and never has been, of mere provincial importance. The number of" second year students in 1898 was 12; first year, 42 (34 being females) ; while four left during: the year. The net cost to the board of the school was £840 16s 6d:

The sum expended during the .year in teachers' salaries (including bonuses on classi-' fication) and bonuses for instructing pupil teachers was £62,449 Is 3d ; the amount paid to school committees for incidental expenses was £5594 12s Id ; the amount expended in the erection, enlargement, arid improvement of school buildings and the purchase of sites was £7108 19s 9d. The serious falling oft* in the attendance, already referred to, has reduced the board's income on the general account .by over £3000, without diminishing the expenditure to any appreciable extent, and the board now finds itself for the first time in the position of being overdrawn on both the general and building accounts. INSPECTOE3' BEPOKTSr

The Inspectors report that during the year all the schools were examined, and all but a few were also inspected. In addition to the public schools, nine Catholic schools were exa'mined^and three inspected. In, July and December" they examined 171 scholarship^ competitors, 53 pupil teachers, and 122 pupil teacher candidates.

Tables are appended giving a summary o£ the results of the examination of the public schools, but the inspectors remark thai- the summary is not presented as their judgment on the efficiency of the schools, .or even on the condition of tne pass subjects."' It shows how many pupils had qualified for promotion in the standards, and hew many" passed Standard IV, the compulspcy^tandard,' and Standard "VI, the standard qualifying, for employment in several branches of' this ~ public service. Comparison of this table with' those of 1896 and 1897' will show that the number of pupils in Standard VI arid ' Glass X has considerably increased, that the number of pupils in Class P has seriou'V decreased, and that the mean of the average ages of the pupils who passed the standards has decreased. The -average ages of the pupils in Standard I and Standard 11, for the r passes of whom head teachers are. responsible, have not altered for the last two years; but the mean of the average ages of the pupils from Standard 111 to Standard VI, for the passes of whom inspectors are responsible, has since 1897 decreased by nearly three months

The total number of children presented in the varioiiß- standards was 21,416; the total number present, 13,992; and the total number that passed, 12,315. These figures are made up as follows: —

Class X: 665 presented. Standard VI: 1601 presented, 1559 present, 1420 passed; average age of those that passed 13 years 6. months. Standard V : 2198 presented, 2126 present, 1700 passed; av^rage age of those that passed 12 years and 9 months. Standard IV: 2778 presented, 2657 present, 2117 passed; average age of those that passed 11 years 11 months. Stan-dard-Ill: 2773 passed, 2689 present, 2235 passed; average age of those that passed 10 years 9 months. Standard II: 2639 presented, 2580 present, 2480 passed ; average age of those that passed 9 years 9 months. Standard I:i 2i22 presented, 2381 present, 2363 passed; average age of .those that pjisped .8 years 8 months. Class P : 6340 presented.

Table B, showing efficiency marks in .pass subjects, states that reading, writing, drawing, arithmetic, and geography were "satisfactory " ; spelling, " good " ; composition, "fair." In class subjects, needlework ' was "very good"; drill and exercises, "good"; recitation and, comprehension, " satisfactory"; grammar, history, object lessons, and ■science, "fair"; mental arithmetic, "weak." It is pointed- out that while the inspectors know .that the standard of efficiency has been fully maintained, and in some respects even, rais.ed, the table shows a fall instead of the rise anticipated. This is attributed lo the prevailing sickness. The inspectors protest once more against a high percentage of pa c se3 being accepted as evidenco of a high ..standard of efficiency. The pupil who gains from 50 to 60 per cent, in each of six of the pass subjects, but does poorly in the remaining 10 subjects of the school course, .receives a standard pass; the pupil who does very good work, say gains 76per cent, in all the subjects ( of the school course, receives a standard pass. , In calculating the percentage of passes no distinction, is made ; and so it is with the schools. They add, however : " Advantage Jtias been taken of our attitude towards the percentage craze to enter, on our authority, the plea that a poor pasa should give parents and committees little concorn. We cannot for a moment allow this. Children of average capacity and in fairly good attendance have a right to expect passes, and should have no difficulty in securing them ; and to those in Standard IV and Standard VI success in the pass examination may be of lifelong importance. We repeat what -we have already said in this connection, and we consider it worthy of note by all concerned : ' Every well taught school gains a high standard pass } but not every, school that gains' a high standard pass is a well taught school.' " We have only space this morning for-the-following further extract from the report: — " For two years we have had under-'considera-tion and discussion the total abolition of the standard pass. We have endeavoured to exclude from our counsels all outside influences, and to confine ourselves to the operation of the standard pass on school life and work, to the professional character of our teachingstaff,' to the condition of our schools, and to our own relations with them. When we wrote our report for 1897 there was still a difference of opinion among us. We are now at one; and we think that, so" far as the Otago district is concerned, the standard pass might, with, great advantage to real education, bo abolished."

The number of patients in the hospital at the beginning of last weetc was 92, and during the past week 26 have been admitted and 14 discharged, the total remaining at the end of the week being 104.

News from Fiji shows that the coolies are still maintaining their unpleasant record for crime. At the recent criminal sessions of the Supreme Court, the list of offences was perhaps the heaviest in the history of the colony. Almost every offence is represented (says theSydney Morning Herald), among the list being several cases of murder, and the coolies provide about 80 per cent, of the calendar. Aa a sample of the type of misdeeds perpetrated by this alien race, we hear of an overseer at Latassa, in the employ of the Sugar Company, being savagely assaulted by coolies, and getting his head badly cut open. It is plain that one of the problems that ia likely lo give increasing trouble in Fiji is the proper control of this horde of Indian worker? on th*. sugar plantations. Statistics go to s\'ow that, they are increasing; in numbers*

I Ay. A iragt- I itendan _a J«i 15,110 15,(-3« 15,635 15,440 15,249 15,503 I 15,051 15,55't 15,848 15,767 15/43 : 14,914 3ai'y ice. lAttem dance ai of Year *. t Close ; % ""N 1887 ... 18«8 ... 1889 ...I 189!) ...j r S93 '.'.'. 1894 ..J 1895 .. ! 189S ...' 1897 ...i 1898 ...! a '•3 <o a a P 4,148 3,925 I 3,938 3,891 ! 3,822 3,824 3,675 1 3,70fi i 3,759 3,75 3,717 3,622 19,258 18,963 19>3 19 331 19,071 19,327 i 18,729 19,265 19,6 r 7 .19,502 19,:560 18,53« i •B . _L 4.648 4,315 4,3ci5 4,341 4,237 i 4,252 4,200 ■4,128 ] 4,217 ' 4,083 4.W0 i 3,979 !1 i 18,032 18,P8 18,376 18.44 L 18,2.56 18,416" 18,362 18,425 ' 18,512 ! 18,(K)i: j 17,727 ) 17,205 l ' 22,680 22,423 22,7-11 22,782 22,473 22,668 22,562 22,553 | 22,729 ■» 22,091 21,787 21,184 I