BOARD OF EDUCATION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4486, 5 August 1875, Page 3

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

A meeting of the Board of Education was held yesterday at the offices of the Board, at II a.m. Present—. Messrs. Brandon (chaix'man), Andrew, Bunny, Hutchison, Pharazyn, and Toomath. MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. FINANCE. The hank account was stated to be overdrawn .£'sol os. sd. as by the Board books, the bank-book not being made up to date. The usual monthly accounts for salaries were passed, as were also the accounts for building, &c., the latter being subject to the approval of the financial committee, Mr. iia’- 1 ' sard’s claim for travelling expenses being disallowed. Mr. Lee, the Inspector of Schools, then read the following report : - . “ Wellington, August 4, lb/5. “To the Chairman of the Education “Board. <•- g lßj —i have the honor to present the following report on certain matters relating to the state of education in the province, but more particularly to the condition of the school properties.

I. OBJECT OP PRESENT REPORT. “ I have now visited all the schools under the Board for the third tune. This last visit was, however, the last one made without notice for purpose of .mere inspection and organisation. X had thus become more intimately acquainted with the methods of instruction adopted. X had, moreover, two special reasons in view—one, of pointing out to the teachers what I consider are the elements of good class-reading, and the best methods of teaching that most important subject; the other, of obtaining such necessary information on the state of the school properties as would form a record for reference and future guidance, and also bring in review the improvements to these properties lately effected. This latter information is somewhat fully set forth in the schedule of properties herewith appended. . - II. —FCTURE REPORT. “ With the permission of the Board, I propose in future making one annual visit to the schools for purposes of examination in the work of the standards, and one surprise visit merely for work of inspection. I submit also that it will be best for me to draw up and present one full annual report, at such time of the year aa the Board may direct. m.—ON THE TEACHING OP READING.

“ There is no more important part of education than English reading, and perhaps no subject is more difficult to teach well, andnene more carelessly handled. Reading is always practised in schools, but seldom taught. When words are pronounced it is often supposed that they are read. Whilst attention is given to correct pronunciation and enunciation, it is seldom given to the proper and grammatical grouping of words in phrases. Attempts should also be made, and, perhaps, more particularly in the lower classes, to give, by short special lessons every day, exercises on the various sounds and particular combination of letters. The teachers have yet for the most part to discriminate between what words should be divided into syllables and what words can only be learnt at sight. The use of short pieces, accurately recited, for teaching expression, is not always seen, nor is the exercise of simultaneous reading generally adopted. It is needless for me to go further into this subject in a report to your Board, but perhaps I have said enough to indicate what has been pointed out, and what will be attempted in other subjects at future visits of inspections only. It- is by such means that untrained teachers may acquire method—the results of experience and observation be more generally put into practice.

rv.— ON CLASSIFICATION FOB -ARITHMETIC. “In inferior schools several sums in arithmetic are usually set for the same class, or else books of examples are in the hands of each pupil In some of the worst managed schools schools various books of examples are actually in use in the same class. The result is that an individual system is resorted to, and the master having more separate processes to look over in a single lesson than could be done well in a whole day, is contented to allow books and slates to be put away without anything new having been taught, or anything more really examined than is done by correcting a few of the processes, or declaring that the results are right or wrong as the case may be. But what I conceive to be the greatest mistake of all in the teaching of arithmetic, is the attempt made by a large—proportion of our masters to teach arithmetic and some other subject at the same time, thereby either wholly neglecting giving instruction in the one and attending to the other, or giving no specific teaching in either. I pointed out broadly what I considered was the best method of treating the subject, and intend taking up the matter in detail on a future occasion. I have most strongly urged upon the teachers the necessity of a distinct and separate classification of the whole school for arithmetic, and as a consequence, that the whole school should be employed on an arithmetic lesson at one and the same time. Arithmetic is the weakest subject taught in most of the schools, and for these reasons, that the examples are worked without the principles being taught, or else that the pupil is left to the aid of books only while the teacher is occupied in giving some other lesson. But with a few well-defined classes working arithmetic at the same time, the master could give explanations on the blackboard to each class in rotation, whilst the other classes were working examples which, in their turn, would be worked and explained on the hoard. V. —ATTENDANCE.

■ “ The gross average monthly attendance for the last three months is 3378 ; and the average daily attendance, 2431, The average daily attendance as compared with the gross attendance is good, being 73 per cent. It is more difficult to determine whether the gross attendance falls short of what it might be when compared with the whole number of children of school age in the province. The Registrar-General reports that there were 7825 children at the date of

his last return between the ages of five and " fifteen. These figures are valuable when their bearing is duly considered and their importance accurately weighed. Let us add 15 per cent, for increase by lapse of time and immigration. This will give 8998. In the absence of accurate statistics, I roughly estimate that there are now in the province—fa j Children between five and six years, not usually sent to school unless they are living very near 000 • fbj Between six and seven, in the country, not . usually sent to school if more than one mile to walk .. . - . - • - - - 300 tr I Attending other schools not under the Board . WOO (dj Educated at home 400 (ej Between twelve and fifteen, employed in . - productive labor, on account of poverty or cupidity of parents 1300 (f.) More than three miles from any centre •where twenty children could be got together.. - 400

The number therefore to be provided for by the ' Board schools • ■ 4 993 To meet this, there are at present attending,. .. -• •• -- 3500 Accommodation being provided by new BchoolS 3950 Probable total of idlers and children unprovided for VI. —SEW SCHOOLS REQUIRED. “ Besides the sixty schools now under your Board and the others in progress, two larue schools for girls and infants only, are much needed in the city of Wellington. I think the utmost caution should be exercised in ascertaining the wants of any new district in the country before a school is built, and that the Inspector should be instructed to first visit the district, and report upon the prospects of a school being permanently maintained. VII. —A RETROSPECTION. “The liberal grants of the Provincial Council made in the past two years in aid of education, have enabled yom Board to develope a system of education for the province which promises to attain a vigorocg growth. The education of the province has certainly received a new impulse by the adoption on the part of your Board of a libera’-, uniform, and encouraging scale of payment to teachers, by the establishment of a pupil

teacher system, by the adoption of a system of standards in the examination of pupils especially adapted to the wants of the colony, by a well-defined classification of teachers, by a supply of new furniture for schools, by the issue of certificates to teachers and advanced scholars, by improved plans for schools and teachers’ residences, by a change in the system of supplying school materials, and by the adoption of new and improved text books for general use in the schools. In addition to these measures, it will be seen on referring to the schedule of properties, that building improvements have been effected in most of the old schools of the province, and that several large new schools have been erected or are in course of erection.

VIII.—NEW ATTENDANCE REGISTER. “ The want of a simple and more suitable attendance register, specially adapted to the wants of the colony, has led me to draw up a new attendance register, which I shall have much pleasure in submitting for the approval of and adoption by your Board. xi.—CONCLUSION. “ In conclusion I may state that considerable additions have been made during the past year to the staff of well-qualified teachers. There is now no difficulty in obtaining teachers. The personnel of the scholars is much improved. There is a strong determination throughout the province, on the part of teachers and scholars, to make good passes at the next examination, and on my last visit to the Thorndon and Carterton schools, one had a foretaste of the pleasure which I hope is shortly to come of visiting schools with buildings and organisation admirably adapted for procuring the best educational results.—l have, &c., “ Robert Lee, v Inspector of Schools.’’ Appended to the report was an elaborate schedule setting forth, in a tabular form, full particulars as to the state of the various school properties throughout the district, from which we extract the following totals ; Vested schools 34 with 1 acre of laud or more 32 Non-vested schools 26 with less than 1 acre 2S Total occupied 60 00 Schools with residence 2S Schools without residence 32 60 The Board directed the report to he printed. CORRESPONDENCE. The letter from the Homan Catholic Education Committee, relative to the conditions on which they would grant a twenty-one years lease of a building site in Boulcott-street, was again taken into consideration by the Board, xAen, after some discussion, it was decided that inasmuch as the term of the present Board would shortly expire, and as the proposed building would be a matter for consideration by the new Board, the whole question had better be postponed until after the election of the new Board.

MASTERTON RESERVES. ■ Mr. Beetbam, on the introduction of Mr. Andrew, had an interview with the Board relative to the Masterton cemetery reserve, now vested in the Board, when it was agreed that the Board consent to release the reserve, their legal power to do so being a matter for the consideration of the Masterton settlers to arrange. TENDERS. On the recommendation of the respective local committees, the following tenders, being the lowest in each case, were agreed to be accepted ; Taratata school, Bvenden and Hill, £lB3 10s.; Wairoa, McVarlane and Sumbume, £274 ; do, teacher’s residence, Thos. North, £240; Pahautanui school, Francis Brady, £l6O ; Porirua Perry, alterations, L. Clowes, £SO. PALMERSTON RESERVE. An offer of £1 per annum from the Good Templars at Palmerston, for site for twenty-one years, was declined until further enquiry was made as to the value of the section in question. DEFAULTERS.

The Secretary having asked for instructions relative to sundry defaulters, as per list forwarded from the Bangitikei district, in the course of the discussion which ensued it was_ stated that owing to the difficulties which had' been experienced in the recovery of rates through the Resident Magistrate’s Court at Wanganui, the solicitors to the Board had de-» termined on summoning certain defaulters tbere( amongsttbem was Mr. James Alexander) to the Resident Magistrate’s Court, Wellington. It was finally determined by the Board that all defaulters be summoned to the Resident Magistrate’s Courts in their respective districts, with the exception of Mr. James Alexander, who should be summoned to Wellington in consequence of his' expressed determination to throw every possible obstacle in the way of the Board, notwithstanding his previous ineffectual attempts, both in the Supreme and Appeal Courts. PROVISION FOB BOARDERS. It was determined to have plans prepared for a school at Tinui, which might combine the necessary accommodation for a day and boarding school, to be forwarded to the local committee there, with instructions to call for tenders. APPEAL CASE. Mr. Jeremiah Hurley having written appealing against the result of the recent examination, by which he was only placed in the second-class, and impugning the impartiality of the examiners, after some [discussion, it was finally determined to refer the letters to the Inspector of Schools to report thereon. The Board then adjourned sine die.