The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER, 21.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 123, 21 September 1877, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER, 21.

The Regulations issued by the Board of Education for the examination and classification of teachers, which will be in force f.t the Annual Examination, to be held in January next, are of importance, not only to the teachers themselves, but to the public, as shewing the care that ie being taken to ensure that none but thoroughly qualified teachers shall be employed in the public schools. We give the following resume of those regulations, together with full particulars of the programme of examination for certificates of the third and second classes, reserving the programme for first-class certificates for. a future occasion. The salient portions of the General Regulations are as follows : —No teacher is to be appointed to the permanent charge of a school, who does not possess a certificate, and the Board, before granting such certificate, is to be satisfied of the moral character of the candidate There are to be three dasses of certificates, with three divisions in each class. The class for which a certificate is granted will depend upon examination ; the division of the class, upon the candidate's qualification as a teacher. If a candidate shall have passed a class examination successfully, but still does not possess sufficient experience or ability as a teacher, the issue of his certificate will be deferred until the Board is satisfied of his efficiency in school management. No candidate under 19 years of age will be allowed Ij sit at a certificate examination, and a cert : ficate will in no case be granted until the candidate has attained the age of 21 years, nor unless the Board is satisfied of the candidate's efficiency in the conduct and management of a school. Holders of certificates shall be entitled to rise to a higher division within i-heir class after three years' satisfactory service ; but will be promoted to a superior class only on re-examination. We now proceed to give the programme for a certificate of the Third Class, which comprises examination in reading, writing in large and small hands ; a thorough knowledge of English Grammar, including parsing, paraphrase, and essay. Arithmetic generally, including volcution, and mensuration of surfaces and of cubical contents ; the principles of physical and mathematical geography, with the general geography of the world, and map-draw-ing from memory ; British and Sacred History ; the principles and practice of school organization and work, including drill, time-tables, registers and notes of lessons ; plain needlework, knitting, and cutting-out (for females only) ; food, clothing, and household management, and laws of health (for females only). In music, the examination will be confined to the theory of the scale and singing an easy piece at sight ; and drawing will include free-hand, model, and geometrical. It may be observed, however, that music and drawing ;;re not compulsory. This programme is framed on a much higher standard than that formerly used for third class certificates, butpersons now classed as assistant teachers may; at the examination in January, 1878, take the standard which the present one supersedes ; but in no case will this privilege be extended beyond the January examination for 1878. A most important addition has been made in the examination for female teachers, viz.— In domestic economy, which, it is presumed will hereafter form part of the curriculum of study pursued in our public schools for girls. We pass on to tha programme of examination fop a'periificate of the second class, the subjects prescribed for ;»the'third class, together with three of the following optional subjects (one of which must be Euclid, Latin, French, or European History), viz., algebra to simple equations (simultaneous) ; the first three Books of Euclid ; (for females—the first two Books), Elementary mechanics, and hydrostatics, chemistry, physics, natural science, as for the first year's examination in Canterbury College. Astronomy not treated mathematically; Latin Grammar and four books of Cossar de hello Gallico ; or two books of the iEneid; French, German, an outline of Grecian and Rompji History ; an outline of European History from 800 A.D.; Political Economy. A certificate from Canterbury College of having passed the first examination for the current year in any subject of the above list, will be accepted instead of examination in. that subject. We have been somewhat particular in giving details of the subjects of examination, not only that those teachers who intend to submit themselves in January should have early information of what is required from them, but that the public also may be informed, as to how thorough

the instruction to be given in the public schools of Canterbury will be, when the teachers, before they are permitted to teach, will have to pass such an examination. It may, however, be as "Well to state that those teachers who possess certificates of qualification from Her Majesty's Committee of Privy Council on Education, or from any recognized Educational Board, or who shall have graduated in any University of the United Kingdom, or of any British Colony, may be classed without examination.