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(24) General There has been a considerable development in instrumental music in the postprimary schools, and many schools are justly proud of their band or orchestra. It has been somewhat difficult to obtain instruments, but arrangements have been made by the Department for schools to import pianos and musical instruments free of Customs duty and sales tax. The museums in the four centres are giving considerable help to visiting classes from the post-primary schools, while schools themselves are making greater use of visual aids with assistance from the Department. The main difficulties at present confronting the post-primary schools are those of equipment and accommodation, but these are being steadily overcome. I have, &c., E. Caradus, Chief Inspector of Post-primary Schools. The Director of Education, Wellington C. 1.

REPORT (EXTRACT) OF NELSON EDUCATION BOARD (CHAIRMAN, Hon. W. H. MCINTYRE) School Environment The total environment, by which term is meant inside and outside functional attractiveness, of every school in this Board continues to be a purposeful consideration in the life of Committees, teachers, pupils, and Board staff officers and Inspectors. Whilst we recognize that efforts at providing pleasant settings for modern educational appurtenances would be made irrespective of any official rewards, we consider that the system of certificates operating within this Board has a generally satisfying effect. The difficulties of the war are now fading, and caretaker-groundsmen in those schools possessing them are as alive as any one to the maintenance and improvement possibilities at various schools and to the chances of raising the standards, within upkeep reason, already achieved. Endeavouring to keep the award of certificates to a sound standard, we this year presented or endorsed twelve Certificates with Medallion of Excellence, twenty-three with Certificates with Medallion of Special Merit, and twenty-five with Certificates of Environment. The Environment Shield, for so long held by schools in the Waimea areas, has this year been shared by Seddonville, a West Coast school, and this is a pleasing item to record. The Board wishes to reward those schools making great efforts against difficulties and yet which might not reach the required certificate standard, and to this end it is presenting an ornamental bowl for circulation amongst the schools. It will be held a year by the school considered to have made the best effort at environment improvement. We regard environment as a very important item in school life and charactertraining, and if we make a special feature of it we do so with, in our opinion, sound results.

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