EDUCATION BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 4229, 15 September 1876, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Education Board was held to-day; present—the DeputvSuparjntendent (in the chair), Messrs Green Davie, acd Hialop (secretary). ' A deputation from Ravensbourne, Rothesay, and the surrounding district waited upon the Board. They wished a Government school erectel at Ravensbourne, and pointed out that there were 300 children in the district At present there was a private school, but this was only capable of holdine forty children.-The Board admitted that the case commended itself as one of pressing necessity; but there were other cases of like necessity. With them it was merely a question of finance, and it was for the deputation to say how far they would be u» a position to assist the Board—Mr Blackib said that the inhabitants would provide a site worth, at least, LIOO, if the Board would build the school and provide a schoolmaster.—The Board promised to recommend the matter for the favorable consideration of the Executive.

Messrs Colin Allan and M'Dougal also wnted upon the Board. Mr Allan explained that the Portobello (School Committee had intimated to Mr M'Dougal that his children would not be admitted to the Portobello School because they lived at the Quarantine station -Mr M'Dguoal said that typhoid fever broke out on the Quarantine Island seven months ago, and that his children were not sent back to school till three weeks after they were admitted to pratique Two children attending the school were afterwards laid up with scarlet fever, and the Committee wished it to be believed that it was brought over by his children. But this was absurd, as scarlet fever could not be propagated by typhoid. The Chairman of the Portobello School Committee here put in an appearance and said that a feeling was abroad in his district that Mr M'Dougal's children ought not to be allowed to be sent to the Portobello school.—The Secretary to the Board expressed strong doubts as to whether the School Committee had power to prevent children attending the school except in cases of gross moral delinquency, where they had committed a breach of the rules or had an infectious disease. It was resolved that the letter of the schoolmaster to Mr M*D6ugaL in reference to the exclusion of his children be referred to the Portobello School Committee to state their reasons for such instructions to the teacher.

The Secretary mentioned that some time ago he brought before the notice of the Board the fact that the Ida Valley School was not attended by sufficient pupils to warrant the sanction of the appointment of a teacher, and the Board then decided that, until they were satisfied that the attendance was increased, no such appointment should be made. The Chairman of the School Committee now wrote that the only draw-back to settlement in the distriot was the want of a school, and guaranteeing that twenty-one pupils would attend the school (with a reasonable prospect of increase) on the appointment of a master. It was agreed to reinstate the school. The secretary to the Good Templars at Purakanui applied for an acre Bite of the School Reserve there.—Mr Grbbn remarked that the application might lead to another for a public-house on the other corner.-—lt was agreed to lease the site if fair terms could be come to.

Several applications for extra teachers were deferred till the receipt of Mr Hialop's report thereon at a special meeting to be held at 11 o'clock on Monday next.