MR THYNNE ON THE EDUCATION BOARD.

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 83, 22 December 1885, Page 2

MR THYNNE ON THE EDUCATION BOARD.

TO THE EDITOB W TH* STAB. Sib, — The present retiring members of the Education Board are finding a champion at last in the Advocate, the editor of which can never have read the report of the Board publisne&~in March last. It has appeared very strange that of the nine members of the Board not one has considered, it worth his while to justify hifif^actidn to his constituents, though every^jpagjer, (except the Advocate), south oVSffVßtr ganui, representing s3. out of .tifo 74 schools in the Board's district, has for sometime past, condemned ffcjßur manner of carrying out the 'Act. "s» . case they may urge that they know not what to reply to* I ,^e certain statements made by their Inspector, and place them before your readers, asking why they should be able to have been made, if the Bo&rd had done their duty. ■ ■ '.■''''"■' '■•"•'• : v. "•. -'^ "Respecting Schools.— The majority are old buildings that hayer>een, put up without any attention 1 iS the essential requirements, of a good schoolhouse. I cannot disguise the fact that some schools, are conducted in. wretched buildings.. The Iwrg^st are singularly wanting in any convenience for teachers. In the town of Wanganui, the boys' and girls' school* possess lofty rooms, but a good dealof money put into the roofs might' have been! more advantageously spent. Smoking chimneys are also a constant source of complaint." <:: ', "The desks in some of the octiojols are in a very dilapidated state. Many schools were in the beginning pf.the year poorly supplied with blackboards. _ Libraries have Deen established vat a few echooh^ but the Ux>kß are. in general too advanced for the use 1 of pupils, and in some cases are unsuitable." ■ ••-■■■ ■:■ - ;./ :/]s,r " "Teachers , Eesidenoes.V- Ni©©; L of the schools are oonducted in buUdbigs combining teachers private, rooms and class rooms. All the fesidonces, like the school buildings, have recently been painted, but many are. I very damp as they were built on the lowest .portion of the school sites. Leakmg gutters, too are a constant souzco of . complaint." K. ' " Teachers.— ln the 74 schools, 132 teachers are employed. Of jthe'ihead teachers 22 are wholly, uncertiiicated, and 6 have provisional certificates,;but 7 of the former are in charge of aided schools, and 2 being new. arrivals^ in the colony await only Inspector's marks. Eleven of these unoertifica^ed teachers did not present themselves for examination in January last, but for all but tw* there seems to be 'jupt excuse.*' ._ ■;- '■ .^.v" "Ventilation. — The ventilation Jn several buildings is very bad, owing to the slyle of their construction," r On another occasion I will offers further extracts from the Inspector's' charge against, the Board, referring more especially to the quality of jpaas&s in standards , and standard subjects, though I think that the candidateia for re-election will have a difficult task to rebut the charges already given above, though not near of so grave a character as those .relating, to Uie standard subjects. It is true that the errors of an Education Board are, as a rule, almost irreparable.-?— I am, &c., Eenest 8. Thynkk. - : Foxton, December 18th, 1885.. - "".