20

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fewer than forty weeks. Unless there is some special cause, as an epidemic, every school should be opeired at Ist four hundred times in a year. The closing of sch-Isat odd times leads o much irreaularitv and a large part of the bad attendance must be set down to this tendency to 3__e\cS_ rimes other than what are authorised by the Board. One exception to the oramary closing must be made, although in reality it ought to be counted as a school to the annual railway excursion, which has grown into popularity in some of the counted strict,. The effect of a railway trip upon school-children even in a subject like geography _s very n aiked and ifseemß to me t&t tL upmost good would result to the country were fa a free railway trip for one day a year to every pupil making four hundred or moie attendances at scho^durmg a the e year asgeg School continue to Jg^^g standard of efficiency. This is the only school under the Board where work .beyond requirements is taken, other than advanced drawing at Napier Mam and Port Ahuun a nd Euclid and algebra at Makotuku. The new regulations that have recently by the Government with the view of fostering the establishment o£ district high schools make it possibk?for dTstricts like Hastings, Woodville, Wairoa, and Dannevirke to have each a school approved by the Minister of Education as a district high school. Perhaps the Committees concerned w.ll make an effort to obtain for their respective districts the fullest advantages offered by "c reflations The grant, are so generous that Gisborne might easily double the attendance of pupilsfnthe advanced classes by granting free scholarships to pupils in the district who have passed the Sixth Standard. ' . .. . ■ P The Training School is continuing to show signs of progress. The arrangements that have been made for the instruction of the students in drawing at the Technical School promise the best of results, and it would be well if other arrangements could be made for instructing drill and calisthenics Whatever the teachers in training learn during their year of special preparation benefit of the whole of the education district. It is a form of educational in vestment that is sure to bring in a satisfactory return. , m w v d The proposal to hold a synchronous examination in drawing for Standaids 111., IV., V and VI at the end of June or immediately preceding the midwinter vacation has been duly intimated to teachers Certificates will be issued to all pupils who pass the first-grade requirements on payment of a small fee. Mr. Anderson, the master of the Technical School, is rendering me effective heir, in this new scheme of examination. . , .. , Be ore closing this report I would like to suggest to the Board that the time has arrived when the Question of establishing a Technical School for Hawke's Bay might well be considered. Ihe let passed _ac year, known as the Manual and Technical Instruction Act, provides, under certain conditions for the payment of a grant by the Government sufficient to erec the necessary -build, ni»s For many I have urged that increased provision should be made or the fostering, of Adaptive education, and the opportunity has come at last. A Techmca School for the furtherance . and science is of the utmost importance to the future of the district.and i two. Bohoo j.could be supplied, one at Napier and one at Gisborne, an immense impetus would be given to the furtherance of tha kind of training such as environment and local needs might suggest It is useless to expecUeachers in the country to give instruction in science until their own training has been considered and this can easily be done if Technical Schools are provided as suggested. £ Catholic schools are working with like earnestness and diligence as the Board schools, and each year there are encouraging signs of progress m the lower aspects» of schoo [ *™W Eioht hundred and seventy-eight children were present in the six schools examined. My visits to Se schools have been less frequent than to the Board schools but the examinations have been carried out in the same way, and I have issued certificates to all pupils who passed Standard VI. under the Departmental regulations. x nave, dsc The Chairman, Education Board, Napier. • n - xILUiJ -

MAELBOEOUGH. Blenheim, 11th March, 1901. ~ I have the honour to present my report on the public schools of the Education District of for the year 1900, this being my tenth annual report. The number of schools under the control of your Board at the end of the year 1900 was sixtysix Two other small schools were open for a portion of the year but, as unfortunately so frequency happens in those remote districts, they were closed through losing their teachers before the end of the year. Altogether there have been sixty-eight schools in operation during the year 1900 Last year there were sixty-one, showing an increase of seven. The number of scholars on the rolls of the schools examined at the dates of the examinations was 2,125 an increase of twenty-six more than last year. Of this number 609 were in preparatory classes and seventy in Standard VII , leaving only 1,446 presented in Standards I. to VI Of S forty-four were absent at the date of the examination leaving 1,402 who were present and examined This is less by eleven than the number examined last year The number of scholars who earned promotion this year was 1,254, or sixty-five more than the number passed in 1899 The percentage of passes for the district was therefore 89-3, which compares favourably with the nprrpntaee for the whole colony in 1899, which was 84-4. percentage tor t Stand d Lto VL This also compares very we 11 with the average for the whole colony as given in the Minister's twenty-third annual report The failures amounted to 105 per cent, of the number examined, which may be regarded as highly satisfactory when compared with the results throughout the colony In 1899,