Summary.

Colonist, Volume XLI, Issue 9097, 15 February 1898, Page 1 (Supplement)

Summary.

THE TUBLIC SCHOOLS.

_ (' Colonist,' Jan. 28th.) In their report upon tho public schools within the Nolfsoii district for tho year 189G, the Inspectors called attention to the want of punctual attendance at many of the schools, and in their annual report recently submitted to the Board the Inspectors further indicate in* what directions improvements are possible. Their observations last year enabled them to declare that fewer general faults had been revealed, though they found that the^e was still room i'or considerable improvement in the methods of work adopted by many teachers. A perusal of the whole report will suffice to show that the Inspectors set about their work with the simple object of indicating in what way the work of the schools may be rendered more effective, and, while the parents, who are primarily interested in seeing that their children derive the fullest benefit that our Educational System is intended to supply, will, if they are wise, give due attention to the remarks of the Inspectors, it will remain with* the Board of Education to insist that the duties of teachers fire properly performed. What in reality amount to grave charges against some teachers are made by the Inspectors]} who state " There is still considerable room for improvement in the method of work adopted by many teachers. A change in the staff has often disclosed a state of things most damaging to the professional reputation of the departing teacher. In ono instance a new teacher, on taking charge at the latter end of the school year, complained that she could find no evidence that the teaching of more than lour subjects had even been attempted. The practice of omitting subjects from the school course till a week or two before the examination, is a most pernicious one, and when, by the timetable, the lessons have been professedly given, the practice is simply dishonest. The plea of inability to follow the time table, is a plain confession of incapacity, as it is the duty of every teacher to frame one that can be followed . . . In some instances we fear that the cause of failure is that outgoing teachers who are leaving the service or being promoted to other posts have, for some time prior to their removal, relaxed their efforts." It is unfortunate that certain omissions on i the part of teachers can only be discovered when a change of staff takes place, but with a scattered district, and so many schools as exist in the Nelson district, frequent inspection is out of the question, while withont frequent inspection there is no possibility of detecting teachers who dishonestly neglect their duty. During last year there were a hundred and eighteen schools at work in the Nelson district, as against ninety only seven years previously, and it has to be regarded that these schools are distributed over a wide area, with rough roads between most of them. If the two Inspectors were able to devote the whole of their time to examining schools, they could not, providing a school could be visited every day, inspect each school four times a year ; but it is necessary that the Inspectors should be present at the meetings of the Board, and they have necessarily to lose much time in"travelling. These officers, however, are able lo place their hands on weak spots, and though in their published reports they do not indicate those who are to blame, a committee of the Board would have no difficulty in ascertaining the names of those who fcave lowered the standard that should have been attained. The Inspectors point directly to ten teaohers whose work has been disappointing, and some of these cases have been referred to the Committees interested. The remarks of the Inspectors relative to the encouraging of a larger attendance should be taken to heart by those teachers who are putting their hearts in the work they have undertaken. It is gratifying to read that " Marked success is attending the efforts of some of our young teachers, who have butj recently finished with credit their probationers' course," but it is evident that some of the teachers need to put greater interest in their work, and it is manifestly unfair that those who not only exert their utmost powers in the class rooms, but devote anxious thought In the interests of the children out of hours, should be placed in the same category as those who do not perform their duties honestly. The Education Board may have an unpleasant duty before it, but in the interests of the children it is to be hoped that next year the Inspectors will be able to report more favor- ! ably of the whole teaching staff.