BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 3056, 14 September 1899, Page 3

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

The monthly meeting of the Board of Education was held yesterday. Present— Rev G. Barclay, Messrs Moore, Keith, Keddie, Jackson, Inwood, and Hamilton. Mr Barclay was moved to the chair, Ahe chairman being absent at Chrißtchurch. chairman's statement. The chairman left a report m writing. The reply of the School Commissioners being favourable, he had taken possession of the site for Clandeboye School

t and instructed the contractor to proceei if with the removal of the buildings fron 1 Geraldine Flat He had visited Spring s brook, and was of opinion that thei> t was plenty of room on the site for a mas ter's house. He did not approve of tin 1 suggested exchange of land at Spring b brook. A BYE ELECTION. f The result of the election by commit f teps of a successor to the Key W. J Oomrie, resigned, was :— G. I. Hnmil ton 25 votes, I. C. Farnie 17, A. Becket ? 14. The chairman declared Mr Hamilton elected. MODKL RIFLES. Regulations for the u-e of the mode I i ifies to be supplied by the Government ■ iind the organisation of school cadets u-ere referred to Major Bamfield anc > Lieutenant-Colonel Moore for report. i The secretary stated that 50 rifles hac been asked for, for Waimate, as VVaimatt I had applied for them. i Mr Keith indignantly protested againsl the rifles being giveri.to Waimate until [ oilier schools had had an opportunity ol asking for some. I BUILDINGS. The architect, Mr I'urnbull, reported with estimates, for . improvements re- ! qutr.ed at Fairlie and Cave, and on thf , n^w buiHing at Tengawai. The latter ; ehouH be finished m about five weeks. ; The Committee desired to h*ve book slight alterations m the plan of thf ; porches and the architect approved oi t these. He submitted plans and speci i fications for residences at Springbrook and Arundel. The Building Committee recom ! mended that the alterations m the Tengawai plans be agreed to, but some oi their proposals— shelter shed especially — should stand over The alterations could be effected if the closets at A Ibury homestead were removed by the committee, and £5 granted. Otner recommendations were :— Hat-pegs to be supplied at Albury. Leak m roof at Woodhniy to be seen to ; 10s to be granted £3 to he granted to Fairview for gate and posts; £2 5s to Claremont for boiler ; £1 to Waimate for desks; £7 to Fairiie for closets, to be expended hy architect, and £3 for drain to be attended to by committee; £4 to Waihao fur fencing addition to school ground ; tank and spouting at Cave to be supplied, and old tank sold. New wing at Pleasant Point, further consideration to stand over till the next building grant is received. That the erection of residence at Waitaki Village Settlement cannot be entertained at present. That tenders be called for erecting residences at Springbrook and Arundel for this day. That tenders be called again for erection of residence at Hakateramea. That the architect report on repairs required at Orari hridge. In regard to the residence at Arundel, Mr Moore staled that he had been called upon by two residents of Arundel and requested to propose *hat the acceptance of a tender be postponed, as there was a new movement to have the school shifted to the village settlement. The chairman stated that the £500 al-locate-i for " contingencies," with the list just presented, was practically all gone, and he hoped committees would tahe the hint and not press for expenditure until the next building grant came m. Mr Keith suggested that if that was the case, such work as fencing the Waihao section could stand over. The Building Committee's report was adopted. • Four tenders for the erection of a school at Salisbury were referred to the chairman for inquiry, there being doubty whether they covered the whole of the work. No tenders were received for residence at Arundel. j Mr Hamilton took his seat at this stage. APPOINTMENTS. Seventeen applications were received for the post of sole female teacher for the new school at Salisbury, all local applicanta except one, and all employed except two. The Board selected three for recommendation to the Committee. | Five applications were received for the similar post at Rangitata Island, but! whiie dealing with these Mr Inwood said there was a proposal to shift the school, so as to place it more conveniently to the bulk of the children. ' Mr Buck, chairman of the School Committee, waited on the Board to see if they could do anything to improve the attendance of eertiin children who live outsHe the 2£mile limit, so that the I compulsory clauses cannot be applied The Committee got a grant of £6 towards it and provided a conveyance for these children, and still they would not att?n 1 properly. He produced a list of eleven children, out of 19 on the roll, whose average attendance for the quarter of 65 dayswaß only 25 days, ranging from two to 47. If the school was shifted a mile it would bring these families within | the limit, and throw him outside the limit. After a discussion Mr Keddie moved and it was carried that no appointment be made now but a locum tenens appointed. Mr Jackson doubted whether the buildings could be shifted, .on account of their age. Mr T. Ritchie was reinstated pupil teacher at the Timaru South, m place of Miss Bvers, who has resigned. Orari Bridge and Wai-iti were each allowed to retain a pupil teacher to the end of the year, as per regulations. Mr Renton, Hakateramea, wrote complaining of the unexpected reduction of his salary. The Board regretted the circumstances, but could do no hing. committekb' banking accounts. The chairman of the Amndel Committee wrote that m consequence of the Bank charge of 10s a year for keeping accounts, the committee proposed to keep their account at the Post Office Saving's Bank but the office refused to allow the chairman to keep the account as he had an account of his own, bu f he could keep the mo eyin his own account. Would that be objected to by the audit? Letters of similar import were read from Geraldine, Timaru, and Winchester Geraldine asked the Board to pny the 2s 6d a quarter. The New Plymouth Board wrote suggesting that the boards of the colony should combine to bring pressure upon the Government to get the charge aooliahed as far as school committees' accounts are concerned. A discussion took place m which Mr Keith stated that it was quite easy to arrange with the Savings Bnnk by rrjpans of "trust" accounts Messrs Inwood and Hamilton said it was not at all simple m the country. Twenty-four hours notice was required for every draw, and m many cases there was no branch of the savings hank anywhere near the school. Mr Hamilton said the office would not send money either, they sent either post-office orders or postal notes, which had to be paid for. It was resolved on the motion of Mr In wood— "That the matter of the charges for maintaining bank accounts by Committees be brought under the notice of the Department, pointing out. the large expenditure of public funds that would be required throughout the colony by this charge ; and that the Government be urged to arrange the matter with the Bank. " Also, on .the motiou of Mr K»ith, " That m reply the several committees asking about their position re banking at Post Office, they be informed that at their option arrangements can be made to open trust accounts." CORRESPONDENCE. Among the correspondence was the following : — From the School Commissioners, granting 3a. lr. 27p. as site for school at Clandeboye. The Olandeboye committee wrote that the site must be fenced and drained, and a pump provided ; were they to provide for these things out of the £25 subscribed towards cost of school.—Requirements referred to Building Committee ; money to be sent to the Board. Ortoo applied for a new boiler,— No

d further expenditure to be incurred at x» Ortqn at present, la view of the probable ? closing of the school on that at Clandee r oye being opened, 3- Upper Otaio asked the Board to lease c an acre of ground from a neighbour, and >- fence it for a paddock for the school children's numerous horses. — Agreed to if the committee pay the rent, on an i,- approved agreement being entered into. '. Mrs McShane asked if the Hoard I would restore to her leased reserve the ,t Geraldine Klat school site.— Tenders to a be called for leasing the site. The Redcliff Committee asked (1) for an enlargement of the school daring 1 next harvest holidays; (2) for an assist- ,. ant teacher. The first request was rei t feired to the Building Committee, to j be considered when the next grant comes m. The school is not yet. entitled i to an as-iislaut. c Mrs Burn was appointed sewing mistress atSilverstream The master asked t for assistance m fencing the. garden, and I again requested attention to various ref pairs needed — The architect had already been instructed re repairs ; fencing request not entertained. I Ihe Temuka Committee applied to - have some electrical apparatus returned ■> to the Temuka school from Keadown, ■■ where it was? removed by order of the . inspector, or another set supplied -Mr :■• Barclay explained that years ago two > sets of scientific apparatus were bought f by the Board, to be paused from school to school. Oue set went to Temuka, an i c had remained there so long that the Committee thought it belonged to them. The office did not know where the other - ant was. Reply accordingly. f Orari Gorge applied for a water tank, - the nearest supply being a race half a 1 mile away. Theiv was a concrete tank, - but it, would not, hold water, — n«'vei , would. — Referred to Building Com- - mi'tee. t, Timaru Main applied for immediate > ntlention to the fence round the masters > huus.e ; part of it. was blown down by a • reo--iit g-Ue. - Referred to the Building - Committee. , IHIS EDUCATION CONFERENCE : Mr Barclay mide ;i report on the re- ; cent Education Conference, for himself . and Mr Gow, the Board's delegates. , There werp 31 memhers at the Con- , ference, ten each of Board members, in- ■ speclors and teachers, with Mr Kiley, , head of the Wellington technical school, i The Government was very friendly, the > Minister of Education opening the Conference with a sensible and sympathetic speech, and the Inspector-Genera! attended all the meetings. Finally the Government p^id all travelling fares and for printing the minutes of the Conference, and, he understood, gave the delegates a banquet at Bellamy's. Only 1 1 two Boards— Nelson and Auckland— were | ] unrepresented, and the Nelson Board had I since protested against one rf the priii- | cipai decisions arrived at. Mr B* relay proceeded to summarise the results of the conference. The chief resolutions he divided into groups, as follows, and in'licate;! m what decree these had been ■ acted upon m framinr: iin> new-iemula-tions that have heeii drafted: — I. — General organisation uf finance : (I) , Uniform system of staffing and salaries, on basis of average attendance ; (2) capitation to be incre-in-d to £4. and more m the case of very small schools. It. — Examination and inspection : (I) Head teachers to examine and. classify ; (2) optional with inspectors to examine and classify any school or any pupil. 111. - Syllabus: (1) Standards te b» retained ; (2) syllabus to be revised m regard to arithmetic, geography, and history; (3) cookery, drill (where there are more than two or more teachers), and manual and domestic instruction ; (4) two reading books at least for each standard. IV.— Technical Education : (1) To be • adopted m all schools ; (2) a larger grant asked for, £10,000 ; (3) country districts ; to be more liberally dealt with than I town districts ; (4) boards to be prr- "■ mitted to subsidise outside teachers where their own teachers cannot give technical instiuction. V. — School attendance : Larger penalties than 2s to be inflicted for violation of Uie com- ' pulsory clauses. VI —Pupil teachers : c Standard of entrance examination to be higher than the sixth. VII. — Exemptions from compulsory attendan p : I o be raised from Standard IV. to V, and the age from 12 to 13 VIII. Class D The two methods of obtaining Class D, by special examination, and by passing the matriculation examination, to be brought into closer harmony as to »e---quirements. IX Consideration m connection with epidemics: That when U.e , attendance is affected by epidemics, capitation should ho paid on the previous year's average. X —Extension of ordinary school work: (I) By continuation classes ; (2) by central higher gra-ie schools m the larger towns. XL — Edu- - cation Boards : To be elected by the ■ votes of individual members of com nittees instead of by committees as a whole. ( In respect of the foregoing groups the proposed new regulations did not touch groups I , IV., V., XL, as these are subjects requiring legislation, and no legislation has been proposed yet, while group VI refers to a subject within the control of RoaHs. ' Group 11. is adopted m the regulations, except that the inspector must examine j Standard VI. The insj.ect.or is, however, to sign the headmaster's schedules ' of examinations and passes, if satisfied with them, and if not satisfied to examine the school himself. Mr Barclay suggested that a conscientious inspector would huve great moral difficulty m signing a document he had not prepared, setting forth results that he had not tested. He believed that some or even miny teachers would not a:> ' preciate the new responsibility placed upon them, as it. would expose them to . insinuations of partiality m rais- i ing or keeping down puoils; and this obj°ction was raised by some of the teachers at the Conference. Then if the system was adopted, there , would be nothing to stimulate dilatory or unconscientious teachers —if any such there be Some of the inspector were not enthusiastic over the proposal either; they would not like to have to overhaul and pull to pieces the classification lists handed them by headmasters; it was an invidious position to place the inspector m, to require him to say m any case '• I do not believe these results ; I must examine the school myself." He must, according to the regulations, either sign and so vouch for the teachers' lists or examine the , school. On the other hand a careless or unconscientious inspector — if any such there be— might acoept anything put before him as all right. , In regard to group lIL the new regu- i lations retain the standards, but m place \ of three olaasea of subjects "pass." "class," and "additional," make only two classes, includinc the " pass " , among the "class" subjects, and transferrinz some of the present •' additional " subjects to that class. Nothing i is proposed as to subdivisions (2), (3), t or (4) of this group. There is no shrinkage of the syllabus of work ; nothing is taken out of it. Group Vl. is embodied m the regulations, with a proviso that m certain circumstances the inspector may give an exemption certificate on lower work There was no sign of the n Department acting m regard to "class D ;" nor m case of making allowance for epidemics ; nor m regard to continuation classes and central schools. ( Of the whole 15 pages of the printed regulations there were but a few lines that differed from the old ones. They were otherwise a verbatim reiteration of the old ones. In. reply to Mr Inwood whether i this Board's trouble, the appoint ment of tpachera was . discussed, , Mr Barclay said it was men- { tioned, and co were many other < things, but nothing waa formulated. { Most of the delegates went prepared , with instructions, but Mr Gow and he f had nothing of the kind, and he thought ] it a mistake that the Board had not discussed some subjects beforehand. In reply to Mr Keith he said the Board members were m a minority of two to ~ r one at the conference, ,

* Mr Barclay and Mr Gow were thanked s for their services .is delegates, and it was ■ agreed to discuss t Ur * regulations (which are now only circulated as "sugges- ! tions ") at a future meeting. LKASING RESERVES. Mr Baroiay made a report on two 10---acre school reserves on Waikakahi, and it was resolved that steps be taken to get them vested m the .Board and temporarily leased. TRUANCY. Mr Barclay pointed out that the value of the truant officers' services was loßtby the Board neglecting to pay attention to them. The reports ought to be carefully considered, to see what was being done, and whether the results justified the expenditure. Mr Keith said the Board had not time to get through its bu-inees, meeting only once a month, and he gave notice to move at next meeting that the Board meet twice a month. A SCHOLARSHIP PUZZLE. Mrs Bartrum waited on the Board to ask for consideration for her son. The hoy won a junior scholarship when 11 years old and took it, and though he failed two years later to win a senior scholarship, his age and the old regulations entitled him to try again the folrowing year. Though he missed a senior scholarship he won a High School exhibition, and was allowed to take it, as the old regulations said that exhibition holders could compete for the senior scholarships; otherwise he would have retained his eligibility by returning to a public school. After the lad accepted the »xuibition, the Board altered th«'ir regulations, ho as to exclude exhibitioners from competing, and this had the <--ffeet of shuitinc out. her son, and her son only, She urged that the new regulations should not have been made 'Hio pectivo with such results. The Board promised to look into the m.i'ter, and Mrs Barirum having retired, tlie reuulat ions were obtained. The new ones were found to have been ponged In August last-- before the ex.miuatinn referred to by Mrs Barirum •, while the old ones also excluded Hij>h School exhibitioners. inspector's reports. T he inspector submitted, reports on the examination of the following schools Opihi. Hazel hum, Faiiview, Kingsdown, Claremont, Seadown, St. Andrews, Southburn, Adair, Washdyke, Milford, Springbrook, Pleasant Point, Totara Valley, -utherlands, Wai-iti, Cave, Rangitirn Valley. The inspector gave a brief statement of the general results m each case. In two cases the results were unsatisfactory, m one case very much ro, and it was directed that the committee's attention be called to the fact. Only 10 papsfd out of 28 presented m standards, the failures wtue bad and the passes not good ones The Board rote at 3.30 p.m.