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Waipawa Mail, Volume 2, Issue 133, 20 December 1879, Page 3

(TO THE EDITOR OF THE WAIPAWA MAIL.) Sib, —In tho published report of the last meeting of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board, a letter was read from the Tamumu School Committee respecting the bonus for results guaranteed by the Board to teachers. The Board decided that the “ Tamumu teacher was not entitled to the bonus,” for the reason that he was not a certificated teacher. When the Board decided some time ago to grant this bonus, they sent official notice to all teacher* in the district of their intention ; that was, as I understand, that schools that would obtain at the Inspector’s examination seventy-five points of efficiency out of a possible hundred, the teacher would receive a bonus of thirty pounds. From the Inspector’s report sent to the Tamumu School Committee, the scholars obtained considerably over the required number of points. I believe the number obtained was a fraction over seventy-eight. When teachers got notice of this competition, the Board was aware, at that time, the Tamumu teacher had no certificate. Knowing this, why ask him to compete for the bonus ? The Tamumu schoolmaster has been seven years teaching the school, and at every official examination during that time (I believe fourteen examinations), his scholars always obtained a comparatively high standard. This ought to be sufficient guarantee of his ability, whether certificated or not. It is also questionable whether the man that can pass a technical examination is always the best teacher. A man may be brimful of knowledge, and hare little of the tact necessary to enable him to impart that knowledge to others. I will not presume that the Board in this instance acted with injustice, but I will say that they certainly give no encouragement for future efforts.—l am, Ac., Dee. 17, 1879. X.