TIMARU SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 1466, 3 June 1879, Page 3

TIMARU SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

The usual monthly meeting of the Timaru School Committee was held laßt evening. ÜBHBBBS PRESENT. Messrs Tato (Chairman), Gibson, Hart, Cliff, Walcot, and tho Rev. W. Gillies. MIBTJTBB. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. NOMINATIONS TO BOABD. A letter was read from the South Canterbury Education Board, requesting that the Committee should nominate gentlemen to fill the vacancies on the Board caused by the resignations of Messrs Inwood and Tancved. A discussion ensued as to whether the Board had compliod with the terms of the Act, as it was pointed out that tho notice requesting the nominations to be sent in had not been forwarded to tho Committee within the period required by Iho Act. Mr Cliff moved, and Mr Tafo seconded pro forma—" Thit Messrs E. Ball and A. Fisher be nominated by this School Committen for election to the South Canterbury Board of Education." ' On being put tho motion was lost. It wan then resolved — " 'I hat. the Chairman be requested to write to the South Canterbury Board of Education, staling the inability of the Committee to nominate candidates lor election to the Board, in consequence of the notice given not being in accordunco with the Act." side scnoor. for timaru. A letter was read from the South Canterbury Board of Education, informing the Committee that they had beon compelled to prslpono consideration of the question of the side school for 'limaru till a fu'nro dute. In connection with this subject, the Chair man said that, he had received papers which had been forwarded from the Education Office, Wellington, with reference to the enforcement of the compulsory clauses of the Education Act. 1 e informed the Committee that it was impossible to try to enforce the compulsory clauses in Timuru until it sideschool was erected. The children at Peeress Town were growing up in ignorance ; he might almost say in crime, for the want of a school being placed in a position so that they could conveniently attend it ; and the curious part of the matter was thut the Board's Inspector had himself recommended that a sidesol 00l should be placed in that locality. The Inspector had estimated that there would be an vttendance of sixty, but he (the Chairman) thought that one hundred children at least would attend the side-school. Other members of (ho Committee having spoken endorsing what had fallen from the Chairmun, regarding the inconsistency shown by the Board in deuling with the question of side-schools in Timaru, and the impossibility of the compulsory cltiuseß of the Education Act being enforced until such a school it ereeted, It was agreed — " That the Committee renew its application to the Board to have- a side school erected at once, as there are now over 1000 children on tho roll at the present school, and to the knowledge of the Committee a considerable number of children are growing up, who should be in attendance, but for the want of further accommodation, no attempt can be made to enforce the compulsory clauses of the Act." THB COMMITTEE AND IHB BOABD. A letter was read from the Board of Edution, stating — (1.) That a successor to Mr Cuthbert, the second master, h»d hei-n advertised for, and suggesting thnt as the applications had to be forwarded to the Board by the 4th instant, the Committee should hold a meeting a* soon as convenient after that date to consider them. (2.) That the pupil teacher* would be paid in accordunco with their ugrre ments. (3.) That the canee of tbe delay in forwarding the Inspector's report on the lohool had resulted from an exceptional pressure of work ; but that another inspection of the school would be held at the end of the current month, and that the result of the two inspections would be combined. (4.) That the Board could not accede to the request of the Committee, tbat they should be allowed to "puruse the examination papers c<f the Timaru candidates at the lute scholarship examination. (5.) That with reference to the remarks of tho Committee, re teachers' salaries, contained in a letter dated tbe slb ultimo, the Board had no communication to make on the subject. (6.) That tbe appointment of Miss Cramond in Mr Mansfield's place, and the consequent arrangement of tbe teaching staff as recommended by ' the Committee, had been approved of by the Board. The Bev Mr Gillies moved, and Mr Wulcot seconded, the following resolution : — " That in reply to clause 4 of the letter from the Education Board, dated 2nd June, the following 1 reply be sent : — ' That this Comitiee much regret the refusal of tho Bonrd to allow them and the teachers of the school a perusal of the scholarship papers of the children connected with the school, and would ask the Beard to re-consider its decision. In urging their request, this Committee would point out to the Board that the results of the examinations being made publio only by way of tbe number of marks Awarded in each subject, the Committee and teachers have no means of knowing in what special department of a subject, or clats of questions, excellence has been attained, or failure taken place, and so cannot set themselves to rectify what may be deficient in the course of instruction giTen. The Committee are convinced that nothing would be more ueeful in the interests of education than that the teachers should have an opportunity of actually showing to the pupils what answers were given to the quest ions ret in examination, and wherein they failed from carelessness or other cause to answer them aright. Having their deficiencies nnd mistakes so brought home to them would tend to produce in future more care and painstaking, and stimulate to exertion in Btudy, while mere expressions of disappointment or rebukes in vague and general statements in retard (o the general results as ' deplorable ' and such like, coming from teachers, parents, the Committed, the Press, or the Board, will be more likely to discourage rather than aid future excellence. A perusal of the paper* would alto be of great use to tbe teachers in revealing to them wherein their methods or course of instruction had been at fault, and to what parts of a subject they would require to direct more attention than had been given in the past. These remarks also apply t 0 the papers set by the Inspector to the children on the occasion of his examination of them for classification under the standards, and to tbe ptpers in the examination of pupil teachers, as the mere tabulated results in the words 'passed' or 'not passed* give so clue to wherein the defects lie, or whether they are the fault of defective teaching or of mere carelessness on the part of the pupils. The Board having given no reason ior their refusal of the request, this Committee are in ignorance of what mßy have weighed with them in coining to this decision, save what was reported in the publio Press, as said by the mover of the refusal— viz., that the Committee's request meant that they wished to examine the Examiners. In reply to this, the Committee would remind the Board that they did not ask to have the whole work of the Examiners submitted to them, as they had no desire or thought of prying into, or making any comparison of how the papers of the pupils of the various schools had been corrected, or their values estimated ; but only asked for the papers of the children of their "own sohool, with a view to find out wherein lay the principal shortcomings, in order, if possible, to have them corrected in future. The Committee has no wish, however, to conceal the fact that one thing weighed very considerably

with them in making their request, viz., that nmir'-s of a most dnnngine character to the fohno' were nv<de in n lending nrtiole in the Timaru Ilerald in connection with the recent Scholarship Kxaminu'ion nnd its results, the writer staling, dtnone other thing* — 'We have reison to know that the examination was an exceedingly lenient one, and th'it the Scholarship Board tonk into consideration, nnd made ample o'lowance for all cireum«fa"ces w)iii:h could be deemed to account for the want of preparation on the part of the candidates. The examination papers were retr arkably easy, and the allotment of marks remnrkubly liberal, yet the results were, as we have seen, simply deplor bl«.' Surely, if the Editor of the paper hod a perusal of the examination papers, or bucli information regarding them and the doings of tho Examiners supplied to him as enabled him to make these remarks, such information, or themeansof obtaining it should not be denied to those diri ctly connected with the school. Of course if the article in quettion was written by one of the examiners, forget! in» the tru»t reposed in him, and using in that public way the private information obtained as an examiner, or if such information was surreptitiously obtained, or a profession of knowledge made without foundation, this argument for the Cotnmitte»'s request falls to the ground. With another part of the same article the Committee thoroughly agreed.vix., 'that hiding a fore will not cure it, and we have thought it best to discuss the whole matter frankly and critically, in the hope that we might thus nrouee a spirit of increased activity among those who have charge of publio education in South Canterbury. 1 The frank and critical discussion of the matter has aroused a desire on the part of tho Committee to ascertain to what roiilly the deplorable reeulta of the late examination are justly to be attributed, and to what extent they can be rec'iQed in the sehoul under their charge, and in this endeavor they hope to be aided, and not frustrated, by the Board." MIBCRM.ANEOTTB. The Chairman informed the Committee that the head master had inquired into the circumstances connected with the presentation of a book to Miss Shappere, and had found that when the book was presented there was no inscription wha'evir upon the hook, as reported in Ihe TSmaru Herald, and that the teach its wen- not, responsible for what had been faid to be written on the book. On tho motion of Mr Gibson, seconded by Mr Cliff, it was derMert that no action should be taken in establishing a Penny Savings Bank in the school. The Chairman said that the number on the roll during the la«t month at. the boys' school whs 291, and tho averago attendance 223.6 ; the number on tho roll at the girls' school 276, and the avernae attendance 203.6; and in the infant department the number on the roll 511, and the average attendnnce 325.3. Mr Cliff was appointed Visitor at the school for the present month. A number of small accounts having been passed for payment, the meeting terminated.