KUMARA SCHOOL COMMITTEE’S ANNUAL REPORT.

Kumara Times, Issue 2347, 6 March 1884, Page 2

KUMARA SCHOOL COMMITTEE’S ANNUAL REPORT.

For reasons which will be found in the introduction, the Annual Report of the Kumara School Committee was read to parents and householders at the Theatre Royal on Friday evening last, on the occasion of the distribution of prizes to the children in the several standards. The Report is as follows : Report of the Kumara Local School Committee for the Year 1883. Ladies and Gentlemen— Owing to the separation of the Westland District, and from the fact that the new Boards have not been elected, and no date fixed for electing the new Committee, the Committee for the year 1883 have been asked by the Government to retain office until Parliament has had an opportunity of dealing with the question. Under these circumstances the Committee has consented to act, and will, under adverse circumstances, endeavour to the I

best of their ability to further the cause of education. So that every confidence should be established between the parents, the public, and the Committee, we have the honour to submit a detailed report upon the schools, their management, and all matters connected therewith, THE STAFF. In January, 1883, when your Committee took office, the staff consisted of Mr Woodward, head teacher, Mr J. Harre, assistant teacher, Mrs S. M. Williams, first assistant female teacher, Miss M. A. Gallaud, second assistant teacher, and pupil teachers Wylde, Voysey, and Rogers. . Owing to the Education Board having given the Committee notice that the staff must be reduced by either dispensing with the services of Mr J. Harre or Mrs Williams ; an opportunity offered, and Mr Harre resigned and accepted the appointment of teacher to the Norman by School. At a subsequent period the Board modified its regulation, but the Committee in the interim lost the services of a most valuable teacher. In September, Mr Tyrer was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr Havre ; thus, for a period of nearly six months the whole work of the school was performed without the aid of a first assistant male teacher. The Board by this saved L 75, and, as a reward to some of the teachers who had borne their share of the extra work entailed, reduced the salary of Mrs S. M. Williams by L6O per annum, and dispensed with the services of Mig Galland. Pupil teacher Miss Rogers leaving, Miss J. Foster was appointed to fill the vacancy. At the end of the year pupil teacher R, Wylde completed his engagement as a pupil teacher. The Committee have, however, retained his services by appointing him junior assistant male teacher, temporarily, pending permanent arrangements when school matters are placed on a more satisfactory basis. GREENSTONE SCHOOL. _ Mr 0. Patrick still occupies the position of head teacher of the Greenstone School. The results of this school were highly satisfactory, there being only two failures. WESTBROOK SCHOOL. Mr W. A. Patrick occupies the position of head teacher at the Westbrook School; and the result of the examination proves that the pupils attending this school have made very great progress during the year. The Greenstone and Westbrook Schools are now from under the control of this committee ; a separate school district having been formed, and a committee for the same has now been elected and has assumed office. RANGIRIRI SCHOOL. Mrs Pascoe has for the greater part of the year occupied the position of teacher of this school. The pupils who have attended regularly have made fair progress. Her resignation is now in the hands of the committee. The committee regret very much losing the services of Mrs Pascoe, also that the parents of Rangiriri district should be so neglectful of their children’s welfare as to prevent them from embracing the opportunity afforded of receiving a first-class education. Out of 24 children of school age and within easy walking distance of the school, it has been a very difficult task to maintain an average attendance of 15, Seeing the majority of the parents are so dead to the welfare of their children ; and although it is wrong that the children should be punished for the neglect of the parents, the committee fail under the circumstances to see the necessity of entailing a loss upon the district by appointing another teacher to this school; and even were the committee ever so anxious to appoint a teacher there would be a very great difficulty in finding any suitable person who would accept the appointment. FINANCIAL. When the committee took office there was a credit balance in the hands of the Treasurer amounting to L2 7s Bd. The committee have received during the year L 66 3s 5d made up as follows : Subscriptions ; Greenstone L 4 6s 6d. Capitation allowance—first quarter, Ll 5 ; second quarter, L 22 15s ; third quarter’ L2l 16s 3d. Total, L 66 3s sd. The expenditure has been L 99 19s 6d. The debit balance and the unpaid accounts amount to L 33 16s Id, so that there is an apparent deficiency amounting to L 33 16s Id. Against this amount there is the sum of L 27 12s 8d clue by the Board to the committee, as under—Capitation, L 22 5s 2d ; work done to be paid out of building grant, L 3 15s and L 7 12s 6d. The actual deficit for the year would be L 6 3s sd. Against this the' committee have a claim against the Board for the sum of Ll2 7s 6d for necessary work done ; and, although without the authority of the Board, the said amount is fairly chargeable to the building grant. It will thus be seen that the committee has more than kept within their very circumscribed means as regards management, &c., and the expenditure unauthorised was for most absolute necessities, the Board not having paid one single shilling on the schools for the year, and what amount they promised the committee now remains unpaid. BUILDINGS AND SCHOOL GROUNDS. The buildings have been erected since 1877 and from that period to the present have not been repainted or repaired The consequence is that they are fast falling into decay, and unless something be done shortly, they will be uninhabitable. The schoolmaster’s residence is also in a disgraceful state, and to approach by the front entrance is absolutely dangeron?, the steps and the verandah being completely rotten. As regards the sc 1 -.*.! grounds, they ure, without exception, uw worst in, West-

land. Only a small portion has been laid down in grass. The part adjoining the grass is still a mass of decaying timber and vegetable matter. A water-race runs through the ground and the covering has given way, and lai’ge holes or cliil-dren-traps are numerous. There is no fence to divide the ground for the boys and girls, and were children of both sexes allowed to play together they must necessarily comingle, which would be very objectionable. The school fence is broken down at nearly every other panel. The portion of ground that was graveled is now one mass of boulders, some of -which would come in handy for paving the sludge-channel. The committee unhesitatingly state that taken as a whole the Kumara School building and grounds are in a most dilapidated condition and that the late Board of Education is responsible for this almost criminal neglect, seeing that no attempt was ever made to give relief, although the committee have repeatedly urged them so to do. RESULTS FOR THE YEAR. In Standard L, 35 pupils who had attended the requisite number of times were presented, and all passed; there were 14 pupils also on the roll in this standard whose attendance did not entitle them to be examined. Standard II. —26 pupils were presented who had attended the requisite number of times, and all passed. Three other pupils on the roll in this standard whose attendance did not entitle them to be examined. Standard 111.—15 pupils were presented who had attended the requisite number of times, 12 of whom passed and three failed. 10 pupils besides on the roll in this standard whose attendance did not allow of their being examined. Standard 1Y.—28 pupils were presented who had attended the requisite number of times. 24 passed and four failed. 11 pupils besides on the roll in this standard whose attendance did not allow them to be examined. Standard Y.—ls pupils were presented who had attended the requisite number of times, 14 passed and one failed. One other pupil on the roll in this standard whose attendance did not entitle it to be examined. Standard Y 1.—12 pupils were presented who had attended to requisite number of times, and the whole of them passed. One other pupil on the roll in this standard whose attendance did not entitle it to be examined. It will thus be seen that notwithstanding the many serious difficulties under which the teachers labored during the year, the results are exceedingly satisfactory. Out of the 131 pupils presented whose attendance entitled them to be examined, there were only eight failures. There were 131 pupils who underwent examination. Added to that number the Infant and Primer class pupils, the average attendance for the year of the whole school being about 240 ; and it will thus be seen that there were some forty pupils who were not examined. The committee deeply regret that some 40 pupils owing to irregular attendance will now be compelled to remain in the one standard two years. This is a very serious matter, and one for which the parents are solely responsible. A year of a child’s school life is very valuable, and the parent who thus sacrifices the child’s welfare has a great deal to answer for. The child is injured for life, and the teachers are dissatisfied, for it is unjust to them and an actual monetary loss. The committee also lose money through irregular attendance, and no one is benefitted. Under these circumstances the committee hope that having called the attention of the parents to this serious evil that it will in the future be remedied. CONCLUSION. In conclusion, the committee have the cheerful announcement to make, namely, that the Kumara School, for the second time, and for two years in succession, holds the premier position in Westland, and the results place it far above either Hokitika, Ross, or Greymouth. The average number of pupils who passed the examination in the Kumara school is 94 per cent. ; the average number of marks obtained by the pupils examined is 66, as against 55 obtained by the pupils attending the Hokitika School; the Greymouth School being very much behind Hokitika and Ross. The greatest praise is therefore due to Mr Woodward and the teachers who have so ably assisted him in the good work. , The pupils also deserve every credit for the attention they have paid to the instruction given. To the teachers, the children, the parents, and the public, the committee tender their sincere thanks, sincerely hoping that the confidence and good-will established may long continue, and that the benefits conferred by the present secular system of Education may be fully appreciated and embraced by the rising generation of Kumara. ° R. J. Seddon, Chairman.