EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6132, 19 March 1898, Page 5

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

THIS DAY. | The adjourned annual meeting of the j North Canterbury Educational Institute j was held at the Normal School to-day. Mr C. S. Howard presided, and there was a large attendance of members. A motion on the appointment of teachers was rescinded and the following substituted : — " That a committee, consisting of the executive of the Board, together with Messrs Hughes, Alley and .Ryder, be set up to report to a future meeting upon the systems of appointment •and promotion in force in the other educational districts, and upon any other schemes that may be submitted to it, and to lay before the meeting any other evidence that may be collected upon the subject." The meeting then proceeded to discuss the recommendations of Inspectors upon the treatment of grammar in the public schools. Mr J. G. L. Scott moved— "That the Education Department be requested, through the secretary of the New Zealand Educational lustitute,»not to act upon the recommendations of the North Canterbury Inspectors with regard to grammar and composition until the Council of the Institute has considered them." The unsatisfactory state of grammar appeared to him to be due not to the syllabus, but to the demands made by the Inspectors upon the children. He thought £hat combining composition and grammar would be a retrograde step, and that the transference of a popular subject like geography to the class subjects would be inadvisable. If more time could be given to the treatment of grammar, and the Inspectors' demands were modified, the subject could be satisfactorily dealt with. Mr Baldwin seconded the motion, and j endorsed the remarks made by Mr Scott. If tho 'Inspectors in their interpretation of the syllabus would not set questions j which at times troubled pupil-teachers and j matriculated students, he would not com- i plain. He took strong exception to a j clause in the report which stated, in effect, j that want of interest in the subject and | defective knowledge or limitations of skill on the parb of the teacher had caused grammar to fall into its present position. He would ask the Department to print grammar test questions. Mr Hughes combated the statement that the Inspectors had no effective penalty for the indifferent treatment of grammar. He was, however, in thorough accord with j many of their views. The discussion was taken part in by Messrs Kippenberger, Mayne, Kennedy, Ryder, Alley, Watson and the Chairman, after which the motion was carried unanimously. '