The Clutha Leader.

Clutha Leader, Volume V, Issue 212, 2 August 1878, Page 4

The Clutha Leader.

In a recent issue we commented on the report oi the Education Board. We now resume tlie subject. The very small number of children receiving instruction in the higher branches is worthy of re--1? ark. This is just what mig-ht be expected, considering* the very ear'y age at wbicb the vast majority of our children are withdrawn altogether from school. In the, table showing the branches of education that are taught, the schools in each County are all i grouped together. We can in this way see at a glance the sthte of education in any particular district. The higher education in the County of Clutha does not seem to be better nor worse than it is in other Counties. In the whole County there are only twenty children receiving instruction in mathematics and fifteen in Latin. We do not think that these figures are satisfactory. In a rich and populous district like the Clutha a much larger number of children ought to be receiving instruction in tbe higher branches. The figures we have quoted show that not many parents are looking forward to their children following occupations that require a superior education. Who is to blame for this unfortura 0 stp'e of matters? We are disposed 0 ■ cast the blame chiefly on the parents themselves. The greater number of our teachers can give instruction m the higher branches, and yet their services ' are not taken advantage of. Our teachers themselves, however, may not be altogether free from blame. We notice that at some schools an unusual number ot children are receiving instruction in the higher branches. There is nothing in the localities in which these schools are situated to account for this. We can only account for it by assuming that the teachers of these schools are unusually zealous in regard to teaching the higher branches. This is highly commendable, if it is r Q~, accompanied by an indifference in egard to the elementary branches. FL rj we may refer to the status of the higher education in our elementary schools a* provided by the new Education Act It has in fact no status at all. Mathematics, Latin, and all other languages are conspicuous by their absence. A teacher who can give instruction in these subjects may do so. But it is

Inor at all npcessarv that he should be able to do this. We cannot but, think that this is a mistake. Every teacher -ought to be able to give instruction in mathematics, and at least one foreign language. Many of our teachers, as we have already said, are. ahle to give tbis instruction. As, however, it is how not ar all necessary that our tethers should be able to do so, and as thousrh tbey give it the fees do not go to them but to the Board, the probability is that teachers who cannot give instruction in the higher branches will increase in number. Such is at least the evident tendency ot our present legislation. The new race of teachers iv.iv lie more expert ii» the art of teachins*, but the chances are that they will* be less scholarly. We notice a suggestion in the report, of the Hector of the Normal School to which we may there refer. It. is that to male pupil preachers either Latin or mathematics S' should be made compulsory. This is a jfgood suggestion. It would have the p<'ffect of remedying to some extent the j| tendency in our educational legislation jf to raise up a class of teachers who are 1 unable to tench the higher branches ; Jf and it is a suggestion which the Board Jean cany but without the assistance of jf legislation Ja Ir would be impossible in dealing ft. with *he report of the Education Board g to avoid all reference to iho inspection j-of our schools. The reports of the two fe Inspectors, and accompanying table § showing the schools examined by them gracd the work done in these schools, |form perhaps the most prominent jiea ture- in the report. It appears that idiin'ng ihe nine months to which the |§ report refers only forty-two schools Ifiure examiued systematically. With fib. reception of a few schools in the 1 1.. i» mairiro and Tuapeka districts, all |§ti'fK j schools were in the neighbour|?;*"o<i ol Dunedin, or within easy access Ito 1 -unedin. Not one school in the % CruMia district ivas examined st/stematig tally, nor indeed one school south of p the Clntha, wi'h the solitary exception § -if 'te. Grammar School of Invercaroill STh is surely is nol : as it should be. In |! addition to the regular examinations of | schools, our Inspectors are in the habit |? oi paying* what they call "surprise || visits." We presume that the "surprise p"-i's" mentioned in the report do not pi include occasional visits that may hnve | h"<in paid to any of the fartv-two k sX:i:v)h that have been systematically f? examined. Assuming that this is the fs cr •?<*,:« nd that no school was favoured f : v* i = h more than one " surprise visit," it pi- satisfactory to think that all our X t'-hodls have been examined more or X- i! ss during the year, or rather during A the nine months over which the report A extends. As Mr Petrie's report is for K. nine months, and Mr Taylor's for twelve | months, ending 31st March last, it is A rmt easy tb state" the time over which A fiie work referred to extends. Some 2 people may think that the examination aof forty-two schools and " surprise | visits" to about 130 others do not • represent -very much work to two ; Inspectors for twelve months, or even A for nine -months. On this point we are 7 not able to form an opinion, as we do not know the amount ,of other work t which devolves .on the Inspectors. It appears that tbo Inspectors perform a y go* d deal of work which may be said ; to be outside their special duties. Mr, y Petrie refers to this point in these j words: — "The time available for in- - spection has been curtailed even more / than usual by the examination of ; teachers and pupil -teachers, the preparation .of proposed regulations, and the conside r at,ion of various matters I connected with the high schools, the classification of teachers, &o." The aim of the Education Board tepms to be to examine once : a year ? each school within i's bounds. This Ass been done in a kind of a wav during the pnst yeai?, for though only forty- ■ two have been examined in a thorough nvauner, the remaining 130 have been e>;u rained in a perfunctory manner. " Vv 'e think that the Board should have a far higher aim than this. It should **•■•} at examining thoroughly every B hool within its bounds at least twice . y-?v. We may lavish large sums on ■.--.: ucation, but if the inspection is •A-Qeient we ma}** rest assured that we shall not see adequate results. We do not say that the amount of inspection which we should like" to see given to our schools would be given to tbem by two Inspectors. It is true li'ui the present Education Board is uiore limited in the sphere of its operafion*-* than the. old Board in consequence of Southland being formed iuto an Education District. But even taking tb!? into account it is doubtful whether tv. o Inspectors would undertake the Jrrge amount of work which two ex--Mmiations of each school during each ye-ir would entail. We must recollect that our schools are always increasing in. number. Though the schools under i A the Board have been reduced in number m consequence of the establishment of tbe Southland Board, yet we may rest assured that in a few years the schools under the Otago Board will equal in number the schools under the Board when it included Southland as well, and that in a few years longer it will probably considerably exceed this number. We know that additional inspection means additional expense, A but we feel assured that it would be money well spent. It is well known that a very efficient :-'•- system of education prevails in Holland.

I We have heard that the efficiency of this svstnnl is due largely to two things, namely, a thorough system of inspection for the schools, nnd a thorough system oi pxaroination for the teacher.s. We shall conclude by quoting a remark of M. Van den Ende, the author of the Dutch system, to M. Cousin. The remark shows the high value which the former set on the work of inspection. " Take care," he said. " how you choose your Inspectors ; they are men whom you ought to look for with a lantern in your hand." «. The debate on the Address in Reply to his Excellency's Speech was rather a novel one. After the mover and seconder had made their maiden speeches a pause ensued, and the Address would have been at once passed but for the action of the eccentric Auckland divine Dr Wallis. That gentleman, himself a Government supporter, finding that no voice was likely to come from the Opposition benches, constituted himselt leader of th" Upposftion for the nonce, and in ironical terms criticised adversely the policy of the Government and ihe actions of Ministers during the recess. He facetiously abused them for baying omitted to do the things he knew they had done, and for not having attempted what he knew they had accomplished. He blamed them, also, for not doing what the Assembly last year declined to allow them to do. The speech, altogether, seems to have been a very clever one, and to have created great iun. The Opposition, however, did not like it, and Major Atkinson put a stop to the debate by declaring it was simply wasting the time of the House. Apparently the Major was in no humour for fun, and could not appreciate that element being introduced. Strange enough, tbis freak of Dr Wallis' has been referred to by opposition journals and their sympathising corrrspondents as foreboding something disastrous for the Government. They have worked up the little pleasantry into a bitter hostile attack by the reverend humorist, and believe that he and many of the Government supporters have already gone, or are about to go over to the Opposition ! It is just a furi her confirmation of the old proverb that drowning men will catch at straws.. It shows the straits the Opposition and their friends are at present placed in, and tbeir overstrained anxipty to find some point out of which to extract a ray of hope. So far as gone apparently the Opposition, it such there be, are entirely disorganised and disunited. It is much to be hoped they will shortly get into order, and that some champion will be got to come forward as leader. If this should have no other result, it might lead to a division upon some point or other, and thus show the strength of the Government. ♦ ; Tt will be observed from a report in another column of the endowments set apart for various Boroughs that upwards ot a thousand acres in Tuapeka West Survey District have been gazetted for Balclutha. This land is part of a block of 2000 acres selected by the Lawrence Municipal Council, and we believe is of very good quality — the best in the block. It is situated five or six miles from Tuapeka mouth, on tbe west bank of the Tuapeka stream. We hear the land would readily let at 3s an acre, but as it is expected the Clutha river will shortly be fully opened up for navigation to Tuapeka mouth, this will materially enhance the value of land in that district., and the endowment may thereiore fetch a higher rent. Balciutha is therefore in luck at present, and it is to be hoped the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled will not now interfere with the liberal action of the Government in the matter of these endowments.