TEACHERS' INSTITUTE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12475, 12 September 1904, Page 4

TEACHERS' INSTITUTE.

—_« — ■> A special meeting of the South Canterbury District Teachers' Istitute was held in Mr Wagstaff's rooms on Saturday morning, when ten members were present. Mr M. McLeod, vice-president, ocoupied the chair. Messrs Witcombe and Tombs wrote that they expected to be able to send out at an early date specimens of the new Zea'andia arithmetics, for judgment whether they would be suitable for the work of the"new syllabus. Mr Valentine moved a remit to the Council—"That the Education Department be again asked to issue to Education districts maps more suitable for school requirements than those now obtainable." This was carried unanimously. Mr McLeod moved—" That if the present inequitable system of computing the average attendance is to be continued, all days on which the attendance is less than 75 per cent, of the roll number be omitted from the calculation of average attendance." This was carried.

At the previous meeting some remits suggested by Mr J. Menzies were held over for consideration at this meeting. The first was as follows:—"That the Council' affirm!the principle of the fight of teachers to take part in ' topical, political, and electoral proceedings,' as citizens and electors of the colony. The teachers at Home have all the rights of electors."—«■ The members considered that the teachers of South Canterbury had no ground of complaint on this head, and the remit was not adopted. Mr Menzies' second suggestion was—- " That as the interpretation of the new syllabus is greatly in the hands of the inspector?, the Council should reaffirm the absolute necessity for the issue of a Code of Instructions to Inspectors, and urge the Department to at once issue such instructions," Members were of opinion that it would be better to wait and see how the syllabus worked before making any such proposal. It was no use crying before they were hurt. The remit was therefore put aside. Two other remits sent in by Mr Menzies suggested that the Department be asked to provide sets of text books in composition, geography, and nature study. Mr J. Hight, editor of the " N.Z. Schoolmaster," who had seen these remits, wrote advising that they be not adopted. If the suggestions. they contained were carried out, they would have the effect of stereotyping the teaching of these subjects for many years to come, and of destroying healthy enterprise among writers and pub'ishejFS of sucn books. It "would also open i door to intrigue, and seriously curtail the power of local educational authorities, a power which had been the s-i t 'f tae educational system. A local publishing firm already had in hand a series of ie.vt bouks in gcoprnphy, designed by Professor Gregory; and also a book on " Nvure Study " by Inspector Mulgan, of Auckland, ■\ man who had already distinguished l.imself in this branch of school science. As for Composition, there were so uiaoy good text-books on this subject, that a teacher should have no difficulty in finding one to suit his requirements, though special books were also being issued dealing w'lb this subject to suit the new syllab is. Private enterprise was therefore doing all that the proposed remits would ask the Department ttTdb.. On the information contained in this letter, the meeting decided that it was unnecessary and would be inadvis ib.'e to adopt the remits.

Mr Menzies had also proposed : " Thai the Tourist Department be asked to supply each school with a copy of their GuVebook and Handbook." —To this was ix'.de-l " a ! so the Year-book, and other Dejvirtmental reports likely to be of jse f»»v edu cational purposes; and the remit w.s then adopted unanimously. The annua, reports of the Departments of Industries and Commerce and of Agriculture were specially mentioned as likely to be useful. The meeting then terminated, but members of the sub-committee appointed tor the purpose remained to their report to the Board of Erlitcn'.ion mi the centralisation of schools, l>v 'he use of vehicles, . instead of establis'j'i-jg mi.';Jl schools.