AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR EDUCATION IN THE PROVINCE OF AUCKLAND.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 32, 5 March 1873, Page 3

AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR EDUCATION IN THE PROVINCE OF AUCKLAND.

(Continued from our lagt.) 19. If the qualified electors in any District shall refuse or neglect to elect a School Committee or if the School Committee when elected shall fail or refuse to perform any duty by this Act imposed upon them it shall be lawful for the Board upon such failure or refusal being reported to them by the Inspector of Schools or otherwise after full inquiry into all the circumstances of the case to nominate and appoint if they shall see fit one or more Commissioners to exercise all the powers and to perform all the duties by this Act committed to or imposed upon such School Committee and it shall be lawful for the commissioner or commissioners so appointed to exercise all powers and perform all duties by this Act imposed upon or committed to Committees of school districts at any time after he or they shall have assumed the place and duties of the School Committee as aforesaid Provided that such commissioner or commissioners shall only hold office from the date of appointment until the next annual meeting of the •district. 20. Subject to the provisions of this Act and to the rules regulations and • directions to be from time to time made and given by the Board the School Committee of every school district shall have the direction of educational matters within such district shall have the control and management of the school-house and property shall subject in all cases to the approval of the Board Select and appoint a teacher or teachers for the district schools and the same suspend or remove shall subject to the general regulations of the Board in that behalf determine the hours of attendance at the district schools and shall keep a record of all their proceedings in a minute book duly signed by the chairman of 'the‘School Committee. 21. The proceedings of every School Committee shall be transacted at meetings to be convened at the request of two or more of the members or by order of the chairman thereof at which meetings three members shall form a quorum and the chairman shall have a casting vote only and the decision of the majority shall be final Provided that no business involving the appointment suspension or dismissal of a teacher shall be transacted unless the notice in writing to the effect that such business is proposed to be transacted has been addressed to every member of the Committee at least three days before the day fixed for such Meeting at his usual or last known place of abode. 22. In case of any complaint being made against the character or conduct of any teacher appointed under this Act it shall be the duty of the School •Committee of the District to which such teacher is appointed to investigate such complaint And such investigation shall not be proceeded with by the School Committee until the teacher against whom such complaint has been made shall have had at least forty-eight hours’ notice in writing signed by a Member of the Board of the charges made against him calling upon him to •appear before such Committee at the time and place specified in such notice te answer such complaint and every such teacher shall be at liberty to produce evidence before such Committee in answer to any such charges and such evidence shall be entered in the Minute Book of such School Committee before any sentence of suspension or of dismissal shall be pronounced of such Committee And in case any teacher so accused shall desire to appeal against the decision of any such School Committee he shall do so by notice in writing within eight days addressed to the Secretary of the Board and such notice shall set forth generally the grounds of such appeal And it shall be the duty of the Board thereupon to examine into the merits of such case without delay in such manner as to them shall appear desirable and for that purpose to examine the minutes of evidence taken as aforesaid and to obtain suchother evidence as shall appear necessary Provided that no sentence of suspension or dismissal shall he confirmed by the Board until the teacher accused shall have an opportunity of producing such evidence as he may desire to give in answer to such accusations.

- 23. In all schools established by the Board except Infant Schools the following branches of instruction shall be required to be taught reading writing spelling arithmetic geography history English grammar and English composition. Provided always that the Board may require that in any school or schools «o established such other branches of secular Education as it shall deem necessary shall be taught. 24. The Board shall from time to time cause examinations to be held for the purpose of examining persons who shall be condidates for the office of teacher of any school established under this Act and every such candidate with whose qualifications the Board shall be satisfied shall receive a licence to teach or a certificate of the first or second degree according to the order of merit and no person shall be deemed eligible for appointment as teacher of a district school who shall not hold a license to teach or a certificate from the Board Provided that no license to teach shall be granted to any person for any longer term than twelve months from the granting thereof and that no person shall receive such license to teach or certificate against whose moral character there shall be any well ascertained cause of complaint Provided also that the Board may at any time upon good cause shown cancel and annul any license to teach or certificate already issued or which may hereafter be issued under the provisions of this Act. 25. It shall be the duty of the Board to apportion all rates levied under the authority of this Act and all monies that may accrue for educational purposes whether from votes of the Provincial Council or from any lands reserved for general purposes of education within the Province and to distribute the same amongst the various educational districts of the Province and shall have power to purchase land as sites for school buildings and teachers’ houses and to erect arid maintain schools and houses for teachers and to provide books for the scholars gratuitously or at cost price and also maps and other requisites for the use of schools and to pay to the teachers such salaries as the Board shall see fit and in the event of any School Committee neglecting or refusing io appoint a teacher in any Educational District the Board may appoint such teacher and make such other provisions as they may think necessary from time to time for the maintenance of such schools Provided always that the minimum salary to be paid to teachers under this Act shall not in any case be less than One hundred pounds a year for teachers holding first-class certificates or Eighty pounds a year for teachers holding certificates of the second class and in the case of teachers holding licenses only such sum as the Board shall in each case think fit Provided also that the Board shall in no case be required to supply funds or to pay the salary of any teacher or teachers who may not be discharging their duties in compliance with the provisions of this Act and the regulations of the Board for the time being in force. 26. It shall be lawful for the Board upon such terms and conditions as they shall think fit to provide teachers for ariy parts of the Province not included within the limits of any Educational District and should such locality not possess a school building such teacher or teachers may be required to teach from house to house or in such other manner as shall appear to the Board conducive to the educational advancement of such locality. 27. The Board shall on the requisition of a majority of the resident householders in any School District within the Province and inay upon such other. grounds as to them shall appear sufficient bring into operation by proclamation in the Provincial Government Gazette and in at least one newspaper published in the Province and circulating within such district as the Board shall direct the provisions herein next following relative to compulsory education and contained in clauses numbered from 28 to 33 and the same revoke Provided that the said provisions shall not be enforced until not less than three months shall have elapsed from the date of such proclamation. . 28. Subject to the provisions of this Act the parent or guardian of every child of the age of not less than seven

or more than twelve years shall in case such child resides within a distance of two miles to be measured by the nearest Eublic road from a public school estabshed under the provisions of this Act send such child to school for at least one-half of the period in each year during which the school is usually open. 29. The parent or guardian of any child may apply for and receive a certificate of exemption from the School Committee of the district within which such child resides if it resides within a School district or if not from the Committee of the adjoining district within which is the public school nearest to thq residence of such child exempting such child from attendance in whole or in part at school upon satisfying the School Committee aforesaid ora Justice of the Peace of the existence of any of the following grounds :— Ist. That the child it under efficient instruction -otherwise. 2nd. That the child is prevented attending school owing to sickness or other unavoidable cause. • 3rd. That the road between the child’s residence and the school is not sufficiently passable for Birch child. 4th. That the Inspector of Schools or the teacher of some public school within the Province has by writing under his hand certified that such child has already attained a competent knowledge of all the branches of education required by this Act to be taught in Schools And every such certificate of exemption shall state the ground of exemption and shall continue in force for a period of one year or for such shorter period as shall be named in such certificate and during the period named in such certificate the holder thereof shall be freed from the operation of the provisions of this Act in respect of the child named therein.

30. In case any School Committee shall ascertain that any child between the ages of seven and twelve years and resident within the hereinbefore prescribed distance from a public school established under the provisions of this Act within its district does not attend school it shall be the duty of such Committee to give the .parent or guardian of such child notice in the form or to the effect of the schedule hereto calling upon such parent or guardian to send such child to schqol. 31. Jf after such notice having been duly served by leaving the same at the, place of residence of such child being within the prescribed age and residerit within the prescribed distance of school the parent or guardian of such child as aforesaid refuses or neglects to send such child to a public school then and in every such case the parent or guardian of such child may be summoned before any two Justices of the Peace who may order such parent or guardian to send such child to a public school. 32. In case any parent or guardian having been ordered as aforesaid by any two Justices of the Peace to send any child to a public school neglects or refuses to obey such order or having obeyed the same for a time ceases to do so without sufficient reason such parent or guardian shall on summary conviction before any two or more Justices of the Peace be liable to a penalty not exceeding forty shillings for each and every week during which such parent or guardian shall fail or neglect to comply with the order aforesaid. (To be continued.)