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School Dental Clinics While the Board appreciates the work done by the Health Department in establishing a number of school dental clinics in this district, it would urge more rapid progress in this direction, as the need for such institutions, particularly in the country districts, is very great. Physical Instruction.—The work of physical instruction, if properly carried out, must have an important bearing on the health of the children. It is advisable, therefore, that the visits of Instructors to the schools should be as frequent as possible so as to ensure that instruction along proper lines is given by the teachers. The Board believes that good work is being done by the Department's Instructors attached to this district. Manual and Technical Instruction. —A report from the Director of Technical and Manual Instruction is attached hereto. Buildings and Sites. —New schools were erected at Kopane and Waimarino, and a new building for the accommodation of the pupils of the secondary department at the Marton District High School. A new site was acquired at St. John's Hill, Wanganui, and an additional area of land secured for the Manchester Street School, Feilding. General.—School Committees throughout the district did excellent work, in co-operation with the teachers, in improving the interior and exterior environment of the schools, and generally in promoting the welfare of the children, and the teachers themselves gave loyal and efficient service. The Inspectors, under Mr. F. G. A. Stuckey, gave the Board every possible assistance during the year, and the Secretary and the Architect, and their staffs, and the manual instructors, carried out their duties to the entire satisfaction of the .Board. To all of the above I tender the thanks of the Board. I wish, also, to convey to the Minister and officials of the Department appreciation of the manner in which attention was given to the Board's requirements during the year. I have, &c., W. A. Collins, Chairman. The Hon. the Minister of Education, Wellington.

HAWKE'S BAY. Sir, — In accordance with the provisions of the Education Act, 1914, the Education Board of the District of Hawke's Bay has the honour to submit the following report of its proceedings for the year 1925 :— The Board. —The personnel'of the Board remained unchanged, and at the end of the year was as follows : Napier Urban Area Messrs. J. Clark Thomson and R. C. Wright; Gisborne Urban AreaMessrs. G. Crawshaw and J. S. Wauchop ; Hastings Urban Area —Messrs. G. F. Roach and G. A. Maddison ; North Ward Rural Area— Messrs. W. Oates and J. R. Kirk ; Middle Ward Rural Area— Messrs. G. McKay and A. King ; South Ward Rural Area —Messrs. R. P. Soundy and W. Cuthbertson. Mr. G. F. Roach was the Chairman of the Board. Finance. —The Maintenance Account, which for several years past has been in an unsatisfactory state, has through careful administration been placed in an improved position. Notwithstanding the restriction which had to be placed on expenditure from this account, all schools have been kept in a satisfactory state of repair. During the year a grant of £1,000 was approved by the Government for the replacement of long desks with dual desks. The sum of £811 4s. 7d. was also expended out of the Rebuilding Fund. Schools opened.—Excluding household schools, new schools were opened during the year at Makarika, Mangaorapa, Napier South, and Putere. The school at Kereru was reopened after a temporary closure. Junior National Scholarships. — The number of Junior National Scholarships gained at the examination held at the end of 1925 was 21, compared with 19 in 1924 and 23 in 1923. Teachers. —The question of the employment of uncertificated teachers has been given considerable attention by the Board during the year. Except in the household schools, where certificated teachers are not employed, no uncertificated teacher has been retained in his position unless he has been reported on as efficient by the Senior Inspector, and unless he has completed the majority of the subjects for the D certificate. Further, all positions have been advertised, and the positions in which uncertificated teachers are employed are those in remoter districts for which certificated teachers have not applied. Over the past few years the decrease in the number employed has been substantial : 1922, 78 ; 1923, 54 ; 1924, 49 ; 1925, 26—numbers in household schools and relieving teachers being excluded. The Hastings Technical High School, at present under the Board's administration, was staffed as follows at the end of the year : Director, 1 male ; assistants, 5 males, 5 females : total, 6 males, 5 females. A student teacher is attached to the staff of this school. Instructors employed in teaching special subjects : Agriculture and dairy science, 2 males; woodwork, 3 males ; domestic science, 3 females : total, 5 males, 3 females. Instruction of manual-training classes at Woodville is given by teachers on the staff of the Palmerston North Technical School. Organizing Teachers. —The Inspectors report most favourably on the efficient state of the smaller country schools, and in a great measure this happy result is due to the efforts of the organizing teachers, who have carried out their duties whole-heartedly and to the complete satisfaction of the Board and

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