Educational Matters

Southland Times, Issue 14817, 19 December 1900, Page 2

Educational Matters

[By Telegraph] Napier, Dee. li. The (luestion of the Education Beard granting <;ei tifif^vtcs to children attend ipg Catholic Schools, as the result of examinations held bj thi: Boards insj)ectors, cropped up to-day on an application by Sister Ignatius of the convent, Wuipawa. Tlie chairman sail the Board's solicitor had advised t hat such certificates could not bo granted by thy Board. The examinations had only been held at the inspector's discretion and not by direction of the Board. The Minister of Education, on whoso recommendation Sister Ignatius wrote to the Board for i lie certificates, had been "tornmunicated with as to the Board's position in the ruatte; 1 , but no reply had yet l>ecn receive" I. A pei-uliar result of giving so many holidays during the voar in connection mth war rejiicmpj, uas laid before the lJoan! by the inspector. Tho scholarships this .year go mainly to small schools in the country where tho course baa not been so much interfeiud vith as those in the ta'Ums, three £50 scholarships going to such schools, beating Napier, Hastings and Gisborno* Dr Hidey, chairman, said:— " Tho amount of time occupied by holidays, demonstrations and tlie concentration of the khaki feeling haa materially affected tUe schools and turned the pupils' minds from education altogether, while another tiling was that it seemed to bo expected that all Kinds of technical education should be imparted without interfering with the ordinary school work. It was a notable feature that large schools, that ought* to have been successful, were low down on the list because it was the large centres that were mosU effected by tlie demonstrations to which he had referred." The Board decided taat tlie re port, be referred back to tho inspect jr that he may give his view.! of the cause of the shortcomings |in the attainments of tho pupils.