11

E.—lc

or who, holding Education Board scholarships, are attending a secondary school."-—Seconded by Mr. Goyen, and carried. A hearty vote of thanks, on the motion of Mr. Hill, seconded by Mr. Goyen, was accorded with acclamation to the Inspector-General of Schools for the able manner in which he had directed the deliberations of the Conference. On motion of Mr. Petrie, a vote of thanks was passed to the Wellington Education Board for the use of their premises. A hearty vote of thanks was given to the Minister of Education for convening the Conference.—(Dr. Anderson.) Votes of thanks were also passed to the secretaries. The Conference adjourned at 10.30 p.m., having met ten times for the transaction of business.

APPENDICES.

APPENDIX A.

SUBJECTS PBOPOSED FOR DISCUSSION. Circular to Inspectors of Schools. Sir, — Education Department, 24th October, 1900. I have the honour, by direction of the Minister of Education, to invite you to attend a conference of Inspectors of Schools, meeting at Wellington on Monday, the 28th January, 1901, at 8 p.m., to consider, inter alia, —■ (1) The syllabus; (2) Scholarship regulations; (3) Pupil-teacher regulations; (4) Teachers' certificates; (5) Higher instruction in primary schools and district high schools; (6) Handwork in primary schools ; (7) Continuation schools; (8) School attendance; (9) Examination of private schools ; and other subjects, if any, that may be admitted. I shall be glad to receive suggestions for additional subjects. I have, &c, George Hogben, Secretary for Education. Inspector of Schools,

APPENDIX B. NOTICES OF MOTION. Standard Regulations. 1. Mr. Purdie to move, That, in the opinion of the members of this Conference, it is desirable that the individual recorded pass in Standards 1., 11., 111., and IV. be abolished. 2. Mr. Fitzgerald to move, That promotion of pupils from class to class be determined by their proficiency in the pass-subjects as specified in the syllabus; that pass examinations be restricted to the Fifth and Sixth Standards; and that merit certificates be awarded to pupils who with credit pass the Sixth Standard examination. 3. Dr. Smyth to move, That the work of the syllabus be lightened in the following ways : Arithmetic—(l) That compound practice be omitted from Standard IV. and added to Standard V.; (2) that compound proportion and problems involving the finding of principal, time, and ratebe omitted from Standard V.; (3) that true discount and all complicated problems on higher commercial rules be omitted from Standard VI. 4. Mr. Petrie to move, That the Minister be asked to curtail the syllabus of instruction so as to allow of two hours a week being devoted in all schools to the teaching of science and of singing; that the curtailment required might be secured— (a) By making the geography course shorter and more precise; (b) by making history a reading-subject only, and no longer liable to special examination, oral or other ; (c) by rearranging the course of instruction in arithmetic, omittipg altogether the study of the metric system of weights and measures,