EDUCATION BOARD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1932, 14 November 1906, Page 3

EDUCATION BOARD.

PRESS ASSOCIATION

Napier, last night. Tho Education Board last night deoided to call for applications for an assistant inspector at a salary of £4OO. In an exhaustive roport on tho staffing difficulty, Inspector Hill rooommonded that the maximum number of pupils for a male teacher be 50, und for a female 40 ; that the exclusion of children from publio eohoole until the age of or 7 would be a publio benefit ; that tho present 'system of staffing requires amendment, as it means a great waste of educational energy.

(Special to Gisborne Times.)

Napier, last night, Miss H. Gow was appointed secondary assistant of Gisborne District High School. Tho resignation of Miss Whitlock, Palearae, was accepted. Awanui was granted £5 for a tank. Tokomaru was granted a subsidy up to £3 for fencing,

Ormond was granted £l7 for ropairs and llooring. Makauri’s application for lloonng was deferred. . . The Gisborno architect was instructed to attend to a cracked pillar. Wairoa was granted a subsidy ot Xt> tor a dividing fence. Mr Darton was appointed to enquire into M r <T, L. Spence’s application for a lease of the reserve at Waereuga-o-kiui. It was resolved that when grants are made to school committees, and pended within six months, the same shall lapse. It was decided that all rents of reserves and school sites be paid to the Board s account Mr Darton moved in accordance with I notice that an assistant inspector bo up- I pointed. He said that lie wished it dearly I understood he was not casting any rellcc- I lion on Inspector Hill, whoso energy seemed to increase with his work. There I seemed to be no limit to the amount of work Inspector Hill could get through, aut a comparison of work he had to under- I like would convince tho Board that lie repaired some assistance. Ho quoted figures n support of his contention, from which t would be seen that Hawke s Lay

lmd only one inspector lor tit schools containing SSb.) pupils. This ivtia out ot all proportion t-J all educational distriot?, especially when it was rtmombored that the Hawke’s 13 ly education district extended from Woodvillo to the East Cape. Nearly ul! the travelling had to bn dene on horseback, the number of

schools that could be visited by rail being very limited. Thmfore, by comparison Hawke's Bay ought to bo stuffed (ay inspector) the highest, instead of as at present, one of the lowest in tho colony. He believed that if inspcclors’ salarios wore

paid by tho Department. as in tho ease of seaohors, tho Board would havo demanded 1 and obtained anotacr inspeoior. In order to keep pace with his work lnspeotor Hill had to do a great deal of his oheoking and the whole of his repjris at night, and sometimes even thin a wiok was not long enough, and he often bad to gat a olass to attend on Saturday to ba examined, Buoh examinations were scarcely fair to pupils or teaobers. In addition it was obvious that something would have to be done towards systematic inspeotioD of leohnioal classes.

Mr Morgan eoaonded the motion, wd said ho considered it absolutely nee,y Mr Hill should havo an assistant. The Chairman said ho quite agreed with the motion, and had thought for a long time that there should be an assistant inspector. Mr Hill was full of energy and dovotion to his work, but in his own interests, and in thoso of education in the district, it was desirable that he should have essiatance,

Mr McLcrnon said that beforo agreeing to tho proposal ho would like fuvthor information as to whether Mr Hill was overworked. He thought tho whole matcor should bo referred to a Committee, with a view to consider tho question as to whether the appointment of an assistant Inspector could bo taken in conjunction with technical instruction, and if a salary could be provided for in that way. The fact that an additional salary would have to be provided must not bo lost sight of. It also seemed to him that tho work of inspection was being considerably lessened since the work of promoting children in standards was now in the hands of teachers He moved an amendment that tho whole matter be referred to a Committee consisting of the Chairman, Messrs Darton, Maddison, and the mover, to report at next meeting. The Chairman pointed out, with regard to one objection raised by Mr McLernon, that ample provision for the, salary of an assistant Inspector could be made from the administration fund.

Mr Maddison said Mr McLcrnon also seemed to forget that the number of pupils had greatly increased recently, and was still continuing to increase. In no othor district in New Zealand was so great an increase taking place. The seoretary slated that tho inoreaso was at the rate of 250 per annum. The amendment v/as negatived and the motion oarried. ■ ■ It was decided to call applications for the position at a salary of £IOO, inoludiug travelling expenses Mr Darton’a motion, " That in the opinion of this B-ttrd the work of inspection of schools be undertaken by th 9 Department ” was lost, only the mover supporting if. lnspeotor Hill presented a lengthy report on the staffing of schools, and submitted tho following proposals 1, The present scheme of staffiug sohools requires amendment. 2. Tho system of small schools is a great waste of educational energy. 8. Men should be requited to teach a larger number of children than women, and pupil teachers, if continued, less than at present, 4. Toe maximum for a man should be 50; for a woman, 40; foe a' pup'l tsaoher of (he first and seoond year, 20, and of the third and fourth year 30. 5, A supernumerary should be appointed in sohools where the 6ervioea of the head master cannot be utilised for claa3 teaoh-

6. The exclusion of children from publio sohools until the age of 6£ or 7 years would bo a publio benefit, 7. The present staff ia sohools is jast sufficient for tho education of ohildren above the age oi years, 8. Ohildren would pass standards es early as they do now, and the results would be better.

9. Entry to a public school in the cise of young children should bo pjriodio and at intervals of eix months, say in January and July. 10. Regulations relating to staffing as the result of an inorease or deorease in attendance at a school should bo less rigid, and more adap'ablo to oircumatanoes, From this sommary it will be seen that nothing oan be done by tho Board to alter the conditions as they are showa to exist in the case of tha Gisborne District High Sohool, and Napier and Heatings eohoole. My reports on eohools have referred to the under-staffing that exists, but nothing can bo done unless modifications should be made in the direction indicated here.