Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, JAN. 3, 1893. Charges—True and Strong.

Manawatu Herald, 3 January 1893, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, JAN. 3, 1893. Charges — True and Strong.

Fob the " free and compulsory " system of education supposed to be in this colony, one and all are paying far too much for the results accomplished. Id is not the slightest use for our legislators to refuse to view the matter in its true light, for, if the management is allowed much longer in the hands of the so-called Education Boards, the taxpayers will arise in their wrath and sweep the whole away. As a friend of education we have often times showed how the incapacity on the part of some Boards is the means of inflicting severe injuries upon those who happen to dwell within their jurisdiction. We have frequently pointed out the shortcomings of the Wanganui Education Board, and day by day they keep continually proving their total unfitness to be entrusted with the responsible duties laid upon them. They appear unable to form the slightest notion as to what should be done from year to year and flounder into most ridiculous, and, also anything but creditable, positions. A few years ig6 we witnessed the folly of their attempting to bribe children to school by giving them a sixpenny medal to wear, fortunately it was only given for attendances for a period of three months and then was laughed out of countenance. We were in hopes that the Board would have taken the trouble to have acted more discreetly since then, but it appeai'3 it is not to" be. At the beginning of last year they made a " blow " ab.mt increasing the allowances to the committees, and did so for a few months, but have now notified their inability to abide by their promises. The difficulties of the committees are nothing to this Board. It is not a month ago when the Board requested the Foxton committee to recommend a lad as a pupil teacher ; directly the recommendation is made, they refuse the appointment, having suddenly discovered that they have too many pupil teachers on their staff 1 Curious, certainly, that they were not aware of this a month ago. It appears as though the Inspector and the Clerk ran the show, and the members were nowhere, lor they pay not the slightest attention to the Education Report which is, and should be, ' more especially to them, most interesting reading. As they appear to have tanfjled up their teaching ' staff, and are also unable to understand the clear and simple requests of committees who do take an interest, in school matters, we will point out a few instances from the report which may induce them to consider their ways. The Wanganui Board decline to accept more pupil teachers as they have. mov a . than they can find promotion for. Table K explains very clearly how the Wanganui Board has got "into the difficulty, as out of the thirteen Boards, it and the Otago Board are the only ones which have an excess *of male teachers over female teachers, there being in the Wanganui Board's employ 108 males and 83 females. Auckland has an excess of female teachers over male teachers of 189 ; Taranaki, 5 ; Wellington, 86 ; Hawke's Bay, 46 ; Mavlborough, 4 ; Nelson, 65 ; Grey, 11 ; Westland, 13 ; North Canterbury, 235 ; South Canterbury, 5 ; Otago, 18 ; but Southland has 8 more males than female teachers. Such a preponderance of male teachers in the Wanganui Board eats up the salary fund, as the total salaries paid last year equalled £104 per head, whereas the average over the -colony is given as £94 2s 6d. £10 a head on its 191 teachers means a sum that could be more usefully spent in other ways. We are not urging low salaries, but the experience of the other Boards is directly at variance withJJM|^^ ciples adopted by the^^^^^^^L Board.

'■•h%note to table H in the report *\vhich states "The table seems to that, as in former years, there are Some, children wftb receive nc instruction in any subject except reading* and others that learn no arithmetic i Wa&gariuij Nelson, Che.y, and Southland are the only districts to which tHis.remark applies"!!! There is also %nother fact that is found recorded in the fteportj ■which is> ttfiikfcbo average" cost per head .for inspection is only two shillings, but it Cost's the Wanganui Board two shillings and tenpence a head ! Our Boaffl likewise comes out badly in comparison with the numbers of schoqlsj which the inspectors', employed elsewhere, can manage. In Auckland 4 Inspectors look after 266 scffSols, being an average of 66 scliijols to each Inspector. North Canterbury has 2 Inspectors for 170 schools or 85 schools to each ; Otago has iff Inspectors for 196 schools oi 65 schools each ; Southland has 2 Inspectors for 111 schools or 55 schools each ; but Wanganui has 2 Inspectors for only 91 schools giving an average of 45 schools to each Inspector ! ** In November last we noticed the fact that owing to the extraordinary arrangement of the teaching staff at the Foxton School each teacher had close on 50 pupils, whereas by a judicious substitution of two pupil teachers for a highly paid assistant the numbers could be reduced with 'great advantage to the scholars. The Wanganui Board by their resolution re cadets do not agree with this suggestion. Looking into the offc quoted Report we find that the mean number of pupils for one teacher is 31.4, but in the Foxton, Palmerston, Marton, Manaia and Norman by schools a teacher is ex--1 pected to educate 42 children, though there is only the number of pupils to a teacher at the following School 1 ? — Wanganui Boys', 34 pupils ; Wrtverley 31 ; Bulls 34 ; Ishurst 28 ; Terrace End 35 ; Patea 83 ; and Aramoho 38. There is just one more point, that is, it only costs to teach the pupils in the Foxton School 51s a head; in Palmerston 465; in Hawera 555, Normanby 60s ; Bulls and Sanson 63s ; but in^Wanganui the Boys' School costs 80s ! Wo hold that we have clearly shown the shortcomings of the Wanganui Education to be Reducing capitation to Committees ; Employment of fifty per cent of male teachers more than should be employed ; Teaching staff costs £10 por head more than the average over the Colony ; Inspection costs tenpence per scholar more than the average, and Inspectors examine fewer schools than similar offieei-s in other districts ; Favouritism is shown to certain schools; and some children receive no instruction in any subject except reading and others learn no arithmetic. Unless the Beport presented to Parliament is incorrect these are facts beyond dispute.