OTAGO EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 3315, 26 September 1917, Page 20

OTAGO EDUCATION BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Otago Education Board was held on the- 19th; presentMessrs D. T. Fleming (chairman), D. Borrie G. Livingstone, P. M'Kinlay, R. H. IS. Todd, J. Wallace, J. Smith, J. Horn, W. R. Brugh, and J. Wilkinson. The following applications were granted: Weston: (1) Now seats and desks.; (2) twothirds cost of asphalting in front of school. Tokarahi: Supply of drain pipes (picket fencing declined)." Hooper's Inlet: Repairs to outhouses, sheds, etc., and cleaning outditch, cost £l2. Maheno: Supply of fencing material at. a cost of £7; half cost (£6) of levelling the girls' playground, covering same with screenings, and for removal of outhouses to a better site. Mornington: Minor repairs to school buildings, cost £4. Otekaike: Supply of material for division fence between school and residence (cost £ll 10s). committee having agreed to supply labour. Port Molyneux: Cleaning of tanks. Concord: One-third cost of two water fountains.

Tho application of Clyde for interior painting' of one of tho school rooms was declined, it being stated that the cost of painting material has increased by 400 per cent. The Kakanui Committee was granted £5 towards the cost of the erection of a fowlhouse and also half the cost of a boundary fence. The architect was empowered _ to make the best arrangements possible with regard to providing additional seating accommodation at the Heriot School. The Balclutha Committee renewed its application for increased accommodation for infant classes, also for a retiring room for teachers.—The senior inspector and architect to report. The matter of the removal of the school from Maruakoa to Five Forks, which was decided upon at last meeting of the board, was revived by a letter from Mr G. Ruddenklau, who supported the proposal to continue the school at Maruakoa.—Messrs A. J. Pearce and R. Lambie also appeared before the board as a deputation to protest against the removal of tho school. — Mr Pearce said considerable hardship would ensue if the school were removed as decided upon. The change would also rum three other schools. The statement that families had left the district because of the absence of a school at Five Forks was a pure fabrication. —Mr Lambie said that his and Mr Pearce's children already had five and a-half miles to go to the Maruakoa School, and the shifting of the building would necessitate them travelling an additional one and a-half miles. —Mr Horn said it appeared as if it would be necessary to establish a household school at Balruddery for the benefit of the Pearce and Lambie families. —The Chairman said the members of the board were already fully conversant with all the facts in connection with this matter. —The board decided in view of all the information at its disposal to adhere to the previous resolution, Mr Borrie dissenting. The matter of erecting a teacher's residence at Maclennan was held over meantime. The Otakou Committee was granted twothirds of the cost of levelling the school ground, the- matter of concreting to be held over meantime. The Education Department wrote intimating that a grant for the erection of a new school at Puketiro had been sanctioned. —The architect was instructed to proceed with the erection of the building as soon as possible. The. Education Department intimated that owing to the impossibility of securing amendments to the Education Act during the present session, the question of increasing the salaries of pupil teachers, probationers, and Training College students would have to be deferred. —Received, the department to be informed that the board regretted that an increase could not be granted. The Education Department forwarded 16 sets of temperance charts, and asked that these be distributed to the larger schools. — Request to be complied with. The secretary of the Church Army was granted permission to fiend circulars to schools requesting donations for Christmas dinners to the London poor. Mr John Little s application for a household school at his residence. Omarama, was approved, tho necessary application to be made to the department. The chairman's action in appointing Miss Irene C. Ross pupil teacher at Macandrew Road School was approved. ' SECOND DAY. The monthly meeting of tho Otago Educntion Board was concluded on the 28th. Mr D. T. Fleming occupied tho chair. The following resignations were accepted : Lucy MTntvre, sole teacher, Moa Flat; WiU'iamina Hay. sole teacher, Popohmoa; Annie Campbell, sole teacher, Tarras; J. Hill Scully, first assistant, Alexandra; Jessie A. Duncan, first assistant. Stirling; Wffi. L. Walton, third assistant, Macandrew road, Mary H. Colquhoun, seventh assistant. George street. The following appointments were made: Oswald O. Austing, sole teacher, Moonlight, vice Wm. M'Neill; Margaret Herd, 6ole teacher, Popotunoa, vice Williamina Hay, transferred ;* Mrs M. A. Miller, ninth assistant, Oaversham, vice Christina Weir, promoted ; Grace I. Taylor, first assistant, Awamoko. vice Ethel D. York, transferred. The Sha£ Point School Committee was granted a subsidy of £5 for asphalting the school ground. An application for additional seating accommodation and also for an enlargement of the School was referred to the architect for a report, A request by tho St. Bathans School Committee for repairs to the school residence and improvements to surface drainage was referred to tho architect for a report. Tho architect's recommendation that a pound for pound subsidy up" to £3O for school improvements at Portobello was granted. The Director of Education, in acknowledging tho receipt of a memorandum from

the board on the subject of candidates' work in blackboard drawing, staled that in the case of students who sat in Oamaru and .Dunedin it was noted that the average quality of the work was of superior merit. —This communication was received. The Truant Inspector (Mr Ryan) reported that during the month 16 notices were served on parents on account of the irregular attendance of their children at school. lour convictions were obtained in the Magistrate's Court at Dunedin. and two at lapanui. With the exception of cases of illness m infant departments, the attendance at schools had been very satisfactory.—The chairman made reference to the case of a parent at Wharetoa, whoso son aged 13, was only now in the First .Standard. There were 37 previous convictions against this parent, extending over four years, and the total paid in lines and court costs was £32 Bs. There wore two other children now beyond school age, one of whom had not passed any standard and the other was in the First Standard. This man was simply exploiting the children's labour at the cost of their education. The matter had been before the board before, when the question of the effect of court proceedings was discussed, and the opinion was expressed that they had little effect. At that time it was thought that legislative authority should bo granted to magistrates to order the withdrawal of children from obdurate parents, and that they bo educated at the expense of their, parents.— xMessrs Wilkinson and M'Kinlay each deplored such a etate of affairs.—The Chairman moved: That the matter be brought under the notice of the Minister and that he bo urged to make some amendment to the law so as to give the magistrate hearing truancy cases power to remove a child from tho custody of the parents upon sufficient cause being shown. —The motion was carried.

The Books' Committee reported that it had conferred with the Senior Inspector and three representatives of the Committee of Management of the Educational Institute, and recommended as follows: —(1) That the progressive series of arithmetics be placed at once on the list of authorised books for this district, and an intimation given that after December 31, 1918, only that series of arithmetics will be allowed to be vsed in schools. (2) That head and sole teachers be notified that books which have already been supplied to schools for use «s supplementary or continuous readers may si ill be used for that purpose. (3) That the recommendation of the Educational Institute regarding the limitation of the kinds and sizes of drawing books to be u : sed in schools be approved, and an intimation be sent to head and sole teachers notifying them that they are not to insist upon pupils providing themselves with drawing books other than these.—Adopted. sex hygiene: The matter of sex hygiene was further considered. Mr M'Kinlay moved: That the board is of the opinion the time has como when the 'study of sex hygiene ehoidd be made a definite part of the school curriculum, and urges the department to appoint specially trained travelling teachers to give instruction in sex hygiene. —Mr Wallace seconded. —Mr Todd supported the motion. He was inclined to believe that the instructors should have a medical training. The matter was a very timely one, and its application would do a tremendoua amount of good.—The Chairman said he doubted very much whether the want of instruction in this subject was altogether the cause of the trouble they all deplored.— The motion was carried.