OTAGO EDUCATION BOARD

Otago Witness, Issue 2672, 31 May 1905, Page 14

OTAGO EDUCATION BOARD

THE ANNUAL REPORT.

The annual report of the Education Board for the Otago district is to hand, and from it we make the following extracts : — Household schools were opened at Mount Stoker and Allendale. Wanaka Road School was reopened, and a school was established at Chatto Creek. The Horse Flat, Puketoi, Glenledi, and Kuriwao Schools were closed. The number of schools in operation at the end of the year was 221, an increase of one. The Normal School and the Model School in connection with it arc now reckoned as two schools. The classification of the schools, according to the average attendance for the year 1904, was: —

On December 31 last there were 539 teachers in the board's service, 199 being males and 340 females. There were 94 male head teachers, 125 sole teachers (32 male and 85 female), 94 mistresses, 116 assistants (49 males and 67 females), three relieving teachers, 81 pupil teachers (16 male and 65 females), and 26 female teachers of needlework. The board lias been quite unable to obtain certificated teachers for many of the smaller schools. It has consequently been found necessary to employ persons who, though fairly well educated, are quite inexperienced in teaching. The inspectors attribute some of the unsatisfactory results of last year's work to the large number of inexperienced and unclassified teachers in charge of schools. Some years ago the board had^not one unclassified teacher in its employ, and now it has 40, and the number threatens to increase. There is among parents and committees in the country districts a widespread and strongly expressed dissatisfaction with the supply of teachers in their schools, and with the frequent removal of teachers after a short period of service, and this dissatisfaction has now spread to the city and suburban school committees. The board is frequently appealed to, but it can do no more than it has done to remedy the defect in the supply of teachers. The remedy lies with the Legislature and the Education Department; and the country niust look to them to re--move the injustico under which so many children now lie. Higher remuneration, provision for possibly failing powers, and a superannuation scheme are among the much-needed inducements required. The returns shew an increase in the school attendance for the past year, except as regards the numbers at the close of the year. There was an increase of 239 in the number of pupils who attended during the year. There was an increase of 18 in the attendance at the Dunedin schools, while the attendance at all the other schools showed an increase of 221. The figures i-elating to the average attendance show a tolal increase- of 163 on the attendance of the previous year. The average attendance at the Dunedin schools has increased by 48, and the increase at all the other schools in the district amounted to 115. The average attendance expressed as a percentage of weekly roll number shows a decided improvement. The Dunedin and j suburban and the Oamaru schools have ! risen to 90 per cent., the remaining schools have risen to 88 per cent., and the percentage for the whole district ,has risen from £6.8 of last year to -88.6. In 63 schools the percentage of average attendance was 90 or over. The following is an abstract of the attendance from 1894 to 1904:

The amount expended on scholarships for the year was £1068 19s 2d, the examination expenses amounting to £45 9s 2d. During the year the irregular attenders j have been diligently looked after by the truant officer; 813 notices were posted to parents and guardians, 23 notices were served for infringements of section 141 of the Education A:ct, and 64 notices under section 144, 288 penalty summonses were issued and 263 convictions obtained. The total fines inflicted was £46 9s. Were the police occasionally during sshool hours to visit the haunts of idle- boys and act on instructions given them, and then communicate with the truant officer they, together with him, might secure education for a number of neglected children. The tabulated results of the inspection of schools show the average age of the pupils in each class as:—Class P, 6 years 10 months; Standard I, 8 years 11 months; Standard 11, 9 years 11 months; Standard 111, 10 years 11 months; Standard XV, 12 years; Standard V, 12 years 10 months; Standard VI, 13 years 9 months i Standard VII, 15 years 5 months. In presenting their report on the efficiency of the schools during 1903, the inspectors noted that the condition was not so satisfactory as that of 1902, and they attributed ; the faJling-off to the severity of the weather > and the .prevalence "*f sickness, hut a^o to f

the number of inexperienced and unclassified teachers whom the board, in tha absence of qualified teachers, had been compelled to appoint. So far as weather and general health are concerned, the work of 1904 was done under normal conditions, as is clearly shown by the greater regularity of attendance, 88.6 per cenif. of roll number against 86.8 per cent, in 1903. The improved attendance should have helped towards greater efficiency, but the above tale is almost identical with that of 1903. The inspectors report that the majority of I schools have improved, as they should have done under the more favourable working conditions, but too large a minority having remained stationary, or having retrograded^ the average efficiency has not been affected. The table showing efficiency marks in subjects gives the mean in aJI subjects as "satisfactory." It is suggested that the Seventh Standard should receive greater consideration from the department, which not only withholds encouragement, but provides an absolute discouragement in the Training College regulations just issued. The number of schools in which handwork classes earning Government capitation were held is 54, which is about 25 per cent, of the schools. Handwork was, however, taken up in most of the schpote with a staff of two or more teachers, and in some with only one teacher, but, feeling unable to comply with the time condition of the regulations, a large number of teachers took up this class of work, but did not give to it the time necessary to qualify for capitation. The department makes no grant for apparatus or material for classes that do not conform to its regulations as regards duration of instruction, programme of work, etc., and the board has no fund for the purpose, so that in schools where unrecognised handwork classes are conducted the cost of the equipment and maintenance must be provided from local sources — that is, by the school committee or the teachers concerned.

In 26 of the schools that have an average attendance of 41 instruction in needlework has been given. Special classes for instruction of teachers in woodwork and cookery were held during the year. Thirty-two of the board's female teachers sat for the London City and Guilds examination in plain cookery, 22 obtaining first-class, and 10 secondclass certificates. Eighteen of the board's male teachers presented themselves for the London City and Guilds examination in woodwork (first year) and 16 of them were successful in passing. A large number of country teachers have availed themselves of the Saturday forenoon classes in the vai'ious branches of drawing held at the Dunedin School of Art.

The sum expended in teachers' salaries,' including house and lodging allowances, was £61,521 16s 8d ; the amount paid to school committees for incidental expenses was £5763 2s 2d : the amount expended in the erection, enlargement, and improvement of school buildings and the purchase of sites was £8575 9s 9d.

The receipts for school buildings include ordinary building grant, £11,918; special grant, £315; house allowances to teachers, £247 10s; local contributions. £129 17s 8d: deposits on contracts, £66 10s; SDecial grants for technical school buildings and furniture, fittings, etc., for same, £722 2s 7d; total, £13,399 0s 3d (including £7523 Government grant for year 1903-4). The main items of expenditure on buildings were: — General maintenance (repairs, alterations, and small additions), £5916 18s; rebuilding, £848 Is lOd ; new buildings, £1090 9s lid ; house allowances, £245 ; for manual and technical purposes, £885 16s. At the end of the year the buildings account was overdrawn, £3604 9s 8d ; but against this there was the unpaid portion of the Government grant. for general maintenance for the financial year ending March 31. 1905. amounting to £4395. and special grants amounting- to £1450. The board anticipates that by the end of the financial year the amount available for buildings will be more than expended. The total amount to credit of all accounts at the close of the year was £1642 4s Bel.

AT , Aggregate .Number of the _ of Average Grade of Schools. Schools. Attendance. Grade o— Not over 10 .. 21 158 I—Over1 — Over 10 and not over 20 .. .. 37 584 2— 21 cc 25 .. 31 709 3— 26 to 40 .. 37 1162 4—4 — 41 to 50 ..20 907 5— 51 to 70 .. 22 1277 6— 71 to 90 .. 13 1032 7—7 — 91 t-o 120 .. 6 618 B—l2l8 — 121 to 150 .. 6 772 3—151 to 200 ..4 666 10—201 to 250 ..2 42S Grade 11—251 to 280 .. 6 1597 12—281 t-o 330 ..1 286 13—331 to 390 .. 3 1054 14—391 to 420 ..2 811 15 — 421 to 480 ..2 872 18—481 to 510 .. 1 504 17—611 to 570 ..3 1581 18—571 to 60S .. 2 1152 19—601 to 660 .. 1 607 20— 661 to 630 .. 1 662 Total 221 17,439

Average. A1 A'uinber daily Schools. Teachers. Attendance. !834 .. 206 521 19 265 L 895 .. 214 550 19,607 L 896 .. 218 554 19,502 ■897 .. 220 559 19,360 LS9B .. 219 543 13,536 1899 .. 222 6TB 17,74? 1900 .. 222 494 17,790 :901 .. 218 484 17,544 902 .. 215 522 17,785 L 903 .. 220 522 17,234 L 904 .. 221 539 17,397 ttendance during Year. 22,553 22,729 22,091 21,787 21,184 20,608 20,150 19,933 20,047 19,504 19,372