TIMARU SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 1479, 18 June 1879, Page 5

TIMARU SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

The usual monthly meeting of the Timaru School Committee was held on Juue .2. MEMBERS PBESENT. Messrs Tate (Chairman), Gibson, Hart, Cliff, Walcot, and tbe Bey. W. GUlies. MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. NOMINATIONS TO BOABD. A letter was read from the South Canterbury Education Board, re ,ueßting that the Committee should nominate gentlemen to fill the vacincies on the Board caused by the resignal ions of Messrs Inwood and Tancred. A discussion ensued as to whether the Board had complied wilh the terms of the Act, as it was pointed out that the notice requesting the nominations to he sent m had not been forwarded to the Committee within tbe period required by Ihe Act. Mr Cliff moved, and Mr Tate seconded jpro forma—" That Messrs E. Ball and A. Fisher be nominated by this School Committee for election to tbe Soutb Canterbury Board of Education." On being put the motion was lost. It was then reßolved — " lhat the Chairman be requested to write to the South Canterbury JBoard of Education, stating the inability of the Committee to nominate candidates lor election to the Board, m consequence of the notice given not being m accordance with the Act." SIDE SCHOOL FOB TIMABU. A letter was read from tbe South Canterbury Board of Education, informing the Committee that they had been compelled to prstpone consideration of the question of the Bide school for Timaru till a fui uro date. In connection with thiß subject, the Chair man said that he had received papers which had heen forwarded from the Education Office, Wellington, with reference to the enforcement ot* tbe compulsory clauses of the Education Act. lie informed the Committee that it was impossible to try to enforce the compulsory clauses m Timaru uutil a sideschool was erected. The children at Peeress Town were growing up m ignorance ; he might almost say m crime, for tbe want of a school being placed m a position so that they could conveniently attend it ; and the curious part of the matter was tbat the Board's Inspector had himself recommended that a sideso! 00l should be placed m that locality. The Inspector had estimated that there would be an attendance of sixty, but he (the Chairman) thought that one hundred children at least would attend the Bide-achool. Other memiers of tbe Committee having spoken endorsing what bad fallen from the Chairman, regarding the inconsistency shown by Ihe Board m dealing with the queßtion of side-schools m Timaru, and the impossibility of the compulsory clauses of the Education Act being enforced until such a school is ereeHd, It was agreed — "That the Committee renew its application to the Board to have b side Bcbool erected at once, as there are now over 1000 children on the roll at the present school, and to the knowledge of the Committee a considerable number of children are growing up, who should be m attendance, but for the want of further accommodation, no attempt can be made to enforce tbe compulsory clauses of the Act." THE COMMITTEE AND THE BOABD. A letter was read from the Board of Edution, stating — (1.) That a successor to Mr Cuthbert, the second master, bad been advertised for, and suggesting tbat as tbe applications had to be forwarded to tbe Board by the 4th instant, the Committee should hold a meeting ax soon as convenient after that date to consider tbem. (2.) That the pupil teachers would be paid m accordance with their agreements. (3.) That the cause of the delay m forwarding the Inspector's report on the school 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, aDd that the result of the two inspections would be combined. (4.) That the Board could not accede to the request of tbe Committee, tbat they should be allowed to puruse the examination papers of the Timaru candidates at the late scholarship examination. (5.) That with reference to the remarks of the Committee, re teachers' salaries, contained m a letter dated the sth ultimo, the Board had no communication to make on the subject. (6.) That the appointment of Miss Cramond m Mr Mansfield's place, and the consequent arrangement of tbe teaching staff as recommended by the Committee, had been approved of by tbe Board. The JRev Mr Gillies moved, and Mr Walcot seconded, the following resolution ; — " 'lhat m reply to clause 4 of the letter from the (education Board, dated 2nd June, the following reply be Bent : — ' Tbat this Comittee mucb regret the refusal of the Board to allow tbem and the teachers of the school a perusal of the scholarship . papers of the children connected wilh tbe school, and would ask the Board to re-consider its decision. In urging their request, this Committee would point out to tbe Board that the results of the examinations being made public only by way of the number of marks awarded iv each subject, tbe Committee and teachers have no means of knowing m what special department of a subject, or class of questions, excellence has been attained, or failure taken place, and so cannot set themselves to rectify what may be deficient m the course of instruciion given. The Committee are convinced that nothing would be more u.-eful m tbe interests of education than that tbe teachers should bave an opportunity of actually showing to tbe pupils what answera were given to tbe questions set m examination, and wherein they failed from carelessness or other cause to answer them aright. Having then- deficiencies nnd i mistakes so brought borne to them would ' tend to prodnee m future more eire and i painstaking, and stimulate to exertion m study,

while mere expressions of di.-appointmeut or rebukes m vague and general stat- ments m regard to the general result* as 'deplorable' ■md such like, coming from teachers, parents, the Committer, the Press, i.r the Bnard, will be more likely to discourage rather than aid future excelhnce. A perusd of the papers woul I abo be of great use to the teachers m revealing to them whcri-in thiir methods or cour.-e of instruction had been at fault, and lo what parts of a subject they would require to direct more attention than bad been given m the past. These remarks also apply to the papers set by the Inspector to the children on the occasion of his examination of them for classification under the standards, and to the papers m the examination of pupil teachers, as the mere tabulated results m the words ' passed * or ' not passed ' g'lTe no 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 Boird having given no reaßOn tor their refußal of the requ-st, tbis Committee are m ignorance of what may have weighed with them m coming to this decision, save what was reported iti the public Press, as said by the raoverof the refusal— viz., that tbe Committee's request meant that they wished to examine the Examiners. In reply to this, tbe Committee would remind the Board that ihey did not ask to have the wbole work of tbe Exsrainers submitted to tbem, 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 ibr the papers of the children of their own school, with a view to find out wherein lay Ihe principal shortcomings, m order, if postible, to hove them corrected m future. The Committee has no wish, however, to conceal the fact that one thing weighed very considerably with them m making their request, viz., that remarks of a most damaging character to the schoo' were made m a leading article m the I'imaru Herald m connection with ihe recent Scholarship Examination and its reßulls, the writer stating, among other things — 'We have reison to know that the examination was an exceedingly lenient one, and thut the Scholarship Board took into consideration, and made ample allowance for all circumstances which could be deemed to account for the want of preparation on the part of the candidates. The examination papers were ren.arkably easy, and the allotment of marks remarkably liberal, yet the results were, as we bave seen, simply deplorable.' Surely, if tbe Editor of the paper bad a perusal or the examination papers, or sucb information regarding them and the doings of the Examiners supplied to him as enabled him to make theße remarks, such information, or themeanßof obtaining it should not be denied to those diri.ctly connected with the school. Of course if the article m question was written by one of the examiners, forgetting the trust reposed m him, and using m that public way tbe private information obtained as aa examiner, or if such information was surreptitiously obtained, or a profession of knowledge made without foundation, tbis argument for the Committee's request falls to the ground. With another part of the same article tbe Committee thoroughly agreed,viz., 'that hiding a so>e will not cure it, and we have thought it beßt to discuss the whole matter frankly and critically, m the hope that we might thus arouse a spirit of increased activity among those wbo have charge of publio education m South Canterbury.' The frank and critical discussion of the matter has aroused a desire on the pa>t of the Committee to ascertain to what really the deplorable results of the late examination are justly to be attributed, and to what extent they can be redified m the school under their charge, and m this endeavor tbey h«pe to be aided, and not frustrated, by the Board." MISCELLANEOUS. The Chairman informed the Committee that the head master had inquired into the circumstances connected with tho presentation of a book to Miss Shappere, and had found that when the book was presented there was no inscription whatever upon the book, as reported m the Timaru Herald, and that tbe teachers were not responsible for what bad been said to be written on the book. On the motion of Mr Gibson, seconded by Mr Cliff, it was decided tbat no action should ba taken m establishing a Penny Savings Bunk m the school. The Chairman said that tbe number on the roll during the la-t month at. the boys' school was 291, and the average attendance 223.6 ; the number on the roll at lhe girls'schoel 276, and the avenge attendance 203.6 ; and m the infant department the number on the roll 511, and the average attendance 325.3. Mr Cliff wss appointed Visitor at the school for the present month. A number of small accounts having been passed for payment, the meeting terminated.