BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2491, 31 March 1882, Page 3

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

An ordinary meeting of the Board of Education for the North Canterbury district wag held yesterday afternoon at three o’clock. Present—Mr John Inglis (chairman), Messrs W. Montgomery, Q. Booth, P. Cunningham, H. W. Peryman, H. B. Webb, and the Rev. O. Fraser.

The Chairman’s report of business transacted since last meeting was read and approved.

Inspectors’ reports on the following schools were laid on the table; —West Christchurch, West Christchurch Side School, Normal School, Eangiora, Hororata, Hurunui, Mason’s Flat, Waiau, and Kaikoura town.

The Chairman said the Board were aware of the loss which they had sustained by the death of Mr Ournow, which occurred so unexpectedly, and, in fact, before the deceased gentleman had entered upon the duties of his new office of inspector. Mr Montgomery moved—“ That this Board desires to place on record its deep senee of the loss sustained by the education department of this district by the untimely death of Mr John Ournow, late Inspector of Schools, and requests the chairman to write a letter of sympathy and condolence to Mrs Ournow on her melancholy bereavement.” Mr Ournow was full of life and strength only a few weeks ago, when ho was appointed Inspector of Schools by the Board, for which position he was highly qualified, both by his education and by the energy and zeal with which he entered into all educational matters. He had been taken away from them, and the education of the district had thereby sustained a great loss. He was sure that every member of the Board would sympathise with Mrs Ournow in the great loss she had sustained. There was nothing more melancholy than to see a gentleman in the prime of life, in the midst of his usefulness, so suddenly out off, and taken from amongst us. The Bev. Mr Fraser seconded the motion.

Mr Webb supported it in a few remarks expressive of the general regret felt at the loss of so valuable an officer and so esteemed a gentleman as Mr Ournow. After a few observations from the Chairman of a similar tenor, the motion was put and carried.

A report was rf ad from Mr Malcolm, principal of the Normal School, giving the result of the examinations for the Normal School scholarships. The following were the five successful scholars—Caroline Woodby, Arthur Oookson, Robert N. Lane, Edith Searl, and F, W. Honeybell. The Chairman called attention to the state of some accounts submitted by one of the School Committees, which he said showed the utter uselessness of the present system of audit, and he suggested that some representation on the subject should be made to head quarters at Wellington. On the motion of the Rev. Mr Fraser, it was resolved—“ That the particulars of this case, showing the utter inadequacy of the present system of auditing school committee accounts, be forwarded to the head of the Education Department in Wellington, requesting that the whole matter be submitted to the Minister of Education, with a view of effecting a suitable change in the mode of audit, and that attention he also drawn to a former recommendation of the Board on the subject.” A new form of agreement to he signed by teachers, as submitted by the Board’s solicitors, was read and approved. The Chairman read a legal opinion obtained on the validity, or otherwise, of the election of the Springfield school committee. It was agreed that the election should be annulled and a fresh one held.

It was reported that the following districts had failed to elect school committees :—Pendarvis. Little Rakaia, Saltwater Creek, Seafield, Stoke, and Sumner. The Board appointed a commissioner to act in eaoh of the districts named.

Miss Lisserman was appointed mistress of the West Oxford side school. Letters were read from the Lower Heathcote school committee, asking the Board to suspend the master of the school on account of his conduct towards the chairman. It was decided that tho master should receive three months’ notice. A motion by the Rev. C. Fraser, to the effect that he should first be requested to state his reasons for writing the letter complained of not finding a seconder.

Mr Webb asked the secretary how tho juvenile exhibits for the Exhibition were coming in P The secretary replied that there had not been vary many yet, but that a largo number were expected from East Christchurch, a good many from the Normal school, and some from Sydenham.

Mr Webb raid he would be obliged to apply to the Board for more money, as the grant of £lO previously voted had been expended. It was decided that the chairman should consult with Mr Webb ae to the amount required. The Board resumed the discussion on the following report, submitted at last meeting:

Christchurch, March 11th, 1882. The Chairman of the Board of Education, North Canterbury. Sir, —We have the honor to report on the redistribution of the scholarships offered for competition by the Board of Education with the view of establishing a new class £, and to make other suggestions to the Board en matters which have been brought under our notice as examiners for the scholarships in question. 1. We suggest that there should be still two scholarships for each of the classes A, B, C and D, but that one of the two unappropriated scholarships should bo given to a new class E, in which the age of the candidate should not exceed fifteen years, and that the remaining scholarship should be awarded in any of the five classes according to the results of the examina. tions.

2. We recommend that all children should be allowed to compete in any class, except those children attending recognised secondary schools ; and we mean by recognised secondary schools those schools at which tne Board may from time to time determine that its scholarships are tenable. Children at these latter schools should be allowed to compete only in classes C, D and E, and only when they have gone to the secondary school as the holders of scholarships gained in classes A, B or C. The principles involved in these two recommendations are those which are laid down in the second report of the Eoyal Commission on University and Higher Education. If they be adopted, means will be provided whereby deserving candidates for the Board’s scholarships are brought within reach of the Junior University Scholarship, for which the lowest limit of age is sixteen years ; thus the children of poor parents will be helped to tako advantage cf the h-ghest culture which the colony affords. At the same time, the scheme is not open to objection on the score of giving undue advantage to those whoso parents arc able and willing to pay for their education. 3. We recommend that holders of scholarships which ate still current should not be allowed to try for other scholarships without first resigning those which they already hold. The practice of candidates, who have gained a scholarship in one class, competing in the next higher class the following year, is of recent introduction, and is attended with pernicious results.

(a) If children are annually subjected to a competitive examination for scholarships, a large portion of their time will constantly be devoted to special scholarship work. Not only will ordinary school work bo by this moans interfered with, but what is done is not likely to bo productive of such permanently good results as if they worked under less excitement. Too frequent competitive examinations are to be especially deprecated in the case of young children. (b) Under the present system many deserving candidates might be kept out altogether, or be forced to content themselves with scholarships which last for only one year. For of a set of children entering, say in class A, the third or fourth on the list might be quite good enough to win a scholarship in class B the next year, and would probably do so if the successful candidates in class A were not allowed to compote It is true that if these latter win again in class B they vacate the scholarships which they already hold, and which still have one year to run ; but by this means scholarships tenable for only one year are introduced, and they do not appear to be in accordance with the p'an on which the scholarship scheme was originally drawn. (c) It is hardly worth while to remove to secondary schools the holders of scholarships which last for only one year. (d) The University of Now Zealand formerly allowed students to compete for senior scholarships at the end of either the second or the third year of their B.A. course. It was found that several candidates who gained scholarships at the end of their second year competed for others at the end of their third year, although if successful they must resign the scholarship already held. But the Senate of the University decided that such a course was undesirable, and now requires the holders of senior scholarships to resign them before trying for a second.

4. For Classes A. B, and C, wa do not propose any change, either in subjects or in marks ; for Classes D and E we propose the following subjects and marks: — Class D.

English ... ... ... ... ... 150 Arithmetic 100 Geography 80 History—British and Ancient ... ... ICO Mathematics —Euclid Book I. and Algebra so far as to include simple equations of one unknown 100 Science... ... ... ... ... ... 100 French—Grammar and easy translations and composition SO Latin—Principia Latina, part 1., and a portion of an easy author 120 Class E.

English 15 Arithmetic 80 History—British and Ancient 100 Mathematics —Euclid, Books I , 11. aud 111., and Algebra so far as to include easy quadratics 120 Science 100

French —Grammar and easy translation and composition 100 Latin—Grammatical questions, a very easy piece of continuous prose for translation into Latin, selected portions of one prose and one verse author 150 In the event of this scheme being adopted we propose for the prescribed Latin authors for the first year of its being worked:—For class D, Cmsar de Belli Galileo, book i , first twentynine chapters; for class E, Virgil’s CEneid, book i. Cicero de Senectnte. It will be seen that in the schedule for class D we have defined and somewhat reduced the amount of mathematics required, and we have introduced Latin and French. In reference to the latter recommendation, we desire to remark:—

(a) That scholarships in class D have, of late years at any rate, been invariably gained by candidates who have previously won scholarships in the lower classes A, B and O. (b) That such candidates will have been at a secondary school, where about one-third of their time is devoted to these subjects ; and that if recommendation 3 of this report be carried out they will have been at the secondary schools for at least two years, and may have been there for three. (c) That it is only reasonable to examine candidates in this class in those subjects to which they have been devoting so large a portion of their school time. (d) That it must be borne in mind that the ordinary pupils at secondary schools will, if our proposals are adopted, be shut out from the competition, and that it will be confined to those oh Idren whom the Board has at an earlier stage of their career already selected for the advantages of a superior education. We have the honor to be, sir, Tour obedient servants, (Signed) C. H. H. • ook. J. V. COLBOBNB-VKISr,.

The Chairman said Ihe proposal made was that the pupils of secondary schools should be excluded from competing for the scholarships, except with regard to classes 0, D, and B, in which children who held Board scholarships at secondary schools should be allowed to compete. The Bey. 0. Fraser thought that the scholarships should be strictly confined to the pupils of the schools under the Board, and that this should bo clearly expressed in the regulations. He moved the insertion of the words “ Attending district schools under the Board.”

Mr Montgomery seconded the motion. They had nothing to do with outside schools. The motion was agreed to with the following addition proposed by the chairman : “Provided nevertheless that children who have held Board scholarships at any secondary school shall be allowed to compete in classes 0, D, and E.” The Board discussed the other clauses in the report and agreed to them with some amendments. After disposing of some routine business the Board went into committee and on resuming adjourned.