THE SCHOOL WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1390, 16 March 1912, Page 10

THE SCHOOL WORLD.

1 AN EDUCATIONAL REVIEWNOTES FROM TOWN AND COUNTRY. Teaehera and others interested In the administration of education are invited to contribute notes for publication in "llie School World." Those should be addressed to the Editor, "The School World," The DrniTN'ioN*, Wellington, Correspondents desiring enlightenment upon any question in connection with the school work, or the general administration of the education svstem, are invited to. submit these points to the Editor for elucidation and reply. Where anonymity 1 s desired, it will be strictly observed,

VARIOUS NEWS ITEMS. "Tho tendency towards overlapping on Hie part of t?ift various public educational institutions in this city has nt time? attracted our attention and led to discus- , sion. We recognise that raeli must ot necessity havo a separate hoard or committee, but a Rciicral body or council might well, without any tendency towards centralisation, exercise a controlling authority over all the educational institutions of this city."—Extract from the annual report of tho Duncdin Technical Sohool Board. Consultation between tho experts responsible for the physical training of the Australian cadets has led to an mlerest- - ing programme of exercises being mapped out for tho new cadet competitions. Care has been taken to get the physiological effects desired in growing boys. It has been found that these aro hi.-.t obtained by tho following exercises-, each performed three times, tho duration not exceeding fifteen minutes:—Heel raising and knee bending; feet astride, with arms stretched upward; arms swinging, arms flinging; r trunk bending sideways (arms sideways f stretch, feet astride); lunging with arm Tnovoments; marching—heels raise, knees r raise, on alternate foot hop. The attendance of pupils at tho cookery and woodwork classes held in the Auckland province, as part of tho scheme of ; technical education, are regular, but there i aro occasional lapses (reports the "New » 'Zealand Herald"). Tho Auckland Education Board recently experienced a case in r which .a resident of Mount Eden refused to send his child to tho classes at Newmarket. At a recent meeting of the board, . tho chairman stated that, the Education ' Department had advised the board that ' attendance at such classes can be enforced ,under tho penalties of the Truancy. r Act. The board decided to give its head tejehers notice of the fact, and to make full use of tho power to make attendance j at the manual training classes com- , pulsory. The Dunedin Technical School Board has decided to request in re irregular attendance of free-placo holders, that the • written gnarantco given by parents and guardians lie hereafter strictly enforced, ami that the Minister for Education bo asked to so amend the free-place regulations that endorsement bv tho parent or guardian of the application for a free place shall be sufficient to render the endorser legally responsible for any loss of capitation resulting from the irregular attendance of the free-place holder. "It has often b?en stated that few tradesmen have any knowledge or grasp of tho principles underlying their trade, and this fact has boon repeatedly brought before members when seeking for practical men to net as instructors in the trade classes," commented the Dunediu Technical Board in its annual report. "It is only after much searching arid inquiry that a competent man can bo found, nns when found ho invariably .. occupies si superior position, bo exemplifying , the value of the ..spscial knowledge ho possesses. There 'is another aspect of this matter that p is worthy of the attention of the worker. The successful demand for more pay nhd shorter, hours must lead to an increase in the cost of production, and consequently in the cost of living—that is, unless tho efficiency of the worker increases in proportion—and it seems to us that the direct • road- to this desired expertness and increased ability must needs be through technical instruction. Let tho workman, then, become more expert and competent, and ho will havo a just claim for shorter • hours-or for a higher percentage of the profits of production." - .Tho Otago Education Board recently received a letter from Mr. I'. B. ."Sargood stating that he was desirous . of giving ,£SO to provide a scholarship nt the Otago University. He stated that his idea was to have a competition essay arranged, the winuer to have free courses at tho University, spread over three years, in any Eciected subject or subjects at.the option of the winner. The subject of the essay would bo "To demonstrate.l that,., through. ..religion and com- ; ■ and goodwill can best be ' .'promoted, throughout tho civilised world." The conditions lnid down a maximum of 1000 words, each school to send its six best essays to n central committee, which would appoint a judge to go through the essays and award apprize. The donor desired tho competition to bo open to the boys and "iris of all schools in Otago, both public and private, and he asked tho board to consider the possibility of putting this idea into operation. The board has decided to refer the proposal to its inspectors for report. Reporting recently, to the Auckland Education Board, tho plan' of grading teachers and submitting only one name to committees, the chairman of tho board said that the system had been in operation for 18 months, and although certain committees had raised objections to it, contending that some power of selection should be given them, on the whole it had worked well. Teacher?, with but few exceptions, were thoroughly satisfied, and the Teachers' Instilute had acknowledged that the board had made an honest, attempt to improve the condition of deserving teachers; and members of committees concerned were realising that the system now being carried out by the board brought them the very best teachers amongst those offering. The board specially desired committees to understand that the grading was absolutely in the hands of ■•the , inspectors, and that the board .ncoepted the chief inspector's reeommendatiins nnd forwarded the name so recommended to tho committee concerned. It would bo clearly seen that tho boaTd possessed absolutely no patronage, and that tho man or woman highest on the eroded