The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1886. Education.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1293, 20 July 1886, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prevalebit. TUESDAY, JULY 20, 1886. Education.

The ninth annual report of the Minister of Education contains a variety of interesting information with regard to the primary schools of the colony. The first part of the report relates to the administration of the Education Act, the second to the Education Reserves Act, and the appendix is supplementary to these two parts only. The average attendance at the primary schools during the year dealt with by the report was 80,302, a number which exceeds that of the preceding year by 4911. The average for the last quarter of the year, 81,663, is the highest that has yet been reached. It is worthy of note, the Minister observes, that the number admitted during the year (50,628) is nearly one-half of the number (103,407) at the end of the year. A reference to the corresponding figures of former years shows that this is by no means extraordinary; that, in fact the irregularity and fitfulness thus disclosed are diminishing rather than increasing. It seems strange, however, that the average continuance of the name of a child on the books of any one school should not exceed two years. It cannot be supposed that the period of two years represents anything like the average duration of the school-life of a child. It may be that frequency of removal from one home to another—a conspicuous feature of colonial life—accounts | for the high proportion which the entrances and dismissions bear to the whole number of pupils at any time enrolled. It is, probable, however, this is due in a measure to great irregularity in attendance. The regulations relating to the quarterly returns of attendance require the teacher to remove from the roll at the end of a quarter the name of any pupil who, although enrolled, has not attended during the quarter; and any such pupil on returning to the school must be entered on the roll as newly admitted. It seems to be impracticable to institute such minute inquiry into the personal questions involved in this problem as could result in a certain knowledge of the relative degrees in which migration, late entrance upon school-life, early withdrawal, and gross rregularity —involving absence during many consecutive months—affect the total numbers that come out year by year in the completion of the statistics. The lacts for the year under review ire—that the year 1884 ended with a oil of 97,238 names; that 40,628 tames were enrolled in 1885; and hat, of the total 147,866 names, only 102,407 remained at the end of the fear; so that the number of pupils emoved from the roll in twelve months ras 45,458, and the actual increase of 1,169 names on the roll represents imply the difference between 50,623 dmissions and 45,459 'here can be no doubt that the un _ teadiness of the attendance militates gainst the efficiency of the schools L reference to the appendix shows hat there is a great disparity in the umbers of children under the charge f the several Boards. Far exemple, re average attendance for the year in ae Otago district is seventeen times reater than in the Grey district, 'hiee Boards (Otago, Auckland, and forth Canterbury, to name them in

the order of their numerical import-

ance) have under their care three-fifths of the whole number of public-school pupils. others (Wellington, Southland, and Wanganui) have onefifth. The rest of the pupils (one-fifth of the whole) are under seven Boards, which fall into two groups, three of them (Nelson, Hawke’s Bay, and South Canterbury) having charge of twofifteenths of the children, and the other four (Marlboroughi Taranaki, Westland, and Grey) having charge of about one-fifteenth. It is gratifying | to notice that the number of pupils increases at a much greater rate than the population. The number of schools in operation rose from 987 to i,oax during the year. Of the i,oax schools, 29 are half-time schools ; for some purposes these may be reckoned at 58, and the whole number stated as 1,050, The number of schools did not increase in proportion to the attendance: in 1884 the mean number in average attendance at each school was 77-8; in 1885, it was 80. The mean number fot the Otago schools is 105-6; for Wellington, 101-4; for North Canterbury, 101-7; for Hawke’s Bay, 95-7. At the other extreme are Marlborough, 39-2 -, Nelson, 45-8; Taranaki, 49-5. In other districts the numbers range from 76-1 to 60.1 The number of teachers at the end of! 1885 was 2,619, being greater by 172 than the number for 1884. The average number of children in attendance under the care of each teacher in the last quarter of the year was 31.2. As the corresponding number for 1884 was 31.4, it follows that the growing number of scholars is adequately provided for by the appointment of new teachers. The foregoing statement does not include mistresses employed for a few hours in each week to give instruction in needlework their nnmber at the end ot the year was 148, against 161 in *BB4. The rate of expenditure on the maintenance of public schools is normally in approximate proportion to the number of children under instruction. The expenditure on school buildings varies considerably from year to year, depending as it does on the varying amounts voted for this purpose by Parliament. The money expended in the strictest u[ 01 the maintenance of schools, that is, upon teachers’ salaries, incidental expenses (including repairs and fuel), and training of teachers, has been at the rate of £4 17s for each pupil, if the aver age attendance is taken as the basis of calculation. In 1884 the rate was £$ 17s ud, and in 1883 it was xßs These are the main features of the report, and, notwithstanding weaknesses to which we have previously referred, we think we may fairly congratulate the country upon the generally satisfactory manner in which the education votes have been expended.

A large majority of the policy-holders in the Government Insurance Association has declared itself in favor of handing the control of the Association back to the Government, and we presume steps will be taken forth with to act ufon this declaration. We think the pollcy-h.ddera have done thebest thing possible under the circumstances, but it is very much to be regretted that the attempt to popularise the Department has so signally failed Sooner or later the policy-holders must exercise more control over the alihirs of the institution than they have hitherto done, and we may be quite sure they will not a second time be put ol£ with the very inadequate representation provided by the Government Insurance Association Act.

The Committee appointed to enquire inlo Mr Vaile’s proposals with regard to railway management is now engaged in making Us report. The Welling on correspondent of the Lyttelton Tunes referring to this subject, lays,—The last witness was Mr Conyers, formerly General Manager at Christchurch. He, I hear, gave evidence strongly in favor of the proposals of Mr Vaile, supporting his evidence with the statement that since his retirement frou the service he has seen enough to make him a strong supporter of Mr Vaile.

The native trouble at Manaia appears to have created a small acare in Wellington but the settlers in the immediate ! locality of the disturbance were not much discompo ed by the demonstration. The notorious Titokowaru la among the natives arrested, and it la to be hoped that he has placed himself within the meshes of the criminal law, and will receive no exceptional treatment. Te Whiii, too, was arrested this morning and charged with inciting the natives to commit a breach of the peace, bhoold the prophet of Parihaka be convicted of the offence with which he is charged we trust ho will be given to understand, by a practical acquaintance with the Inside of a common gaol, that imprisonment is not all beer and skittles.