Correspondence. THE STRICT AND WORKING AVERAGES.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 38, 16 December 1893, Page 7

Correspondence.

THE STRICT AND WORKING AVERAGES.

TO THE EDITOR,. Sib,—ln response to an inquiry from a reader of your paper, I have pleasure in handing you these notes explanatory of the terms “Working” and “ Strict average.” The following Order-in-Council, formerly in force, clearly shows the difference;— “ The average daily attendance shall he ascertained by dividing the total number of morning and afternoon attendances taken together by the total number of times {morning and afternoon reckoned separately) that the school has been opened during the period for which computation is made. [That is the Strict average.] A school shall be held to be opened if any child be present before the first half-hour of the school time has passed. But, in order that the capitation allowance may not be unduly affected by bad weather, epidemics, or any unusual occurrence, a second computation of average shall be made by throwing out of account the mornings and the afternoons on which the attendance was less than one-half of the number of children then belonging to the school; [This was the Working average] and the payments to Boards shall be based on the second computation.”

Thus, if a school of 120 pupils during a quarter has been open 130 times, and the total attendants for these times equal 14,300, the strict average would equal 110. If on, say, 12 times the attendance fell below 60, and for these twelve times the total attendances equalled 600, the working average would be obtained by deducting the latter figures from the former totals, and dividing the resultants, i.e., 13,700 attendances by 118 (times open), giving working average of 116, and on this latter average the payments to teachers and committees were formerly made. Bad weather and epidemics are known to seriously affect the attendance of schools, especially in widely-scattered districts, and in consequence of the abolition of the “ working ” average the upland teachers suffer severely in pocket from circumstances over ■which they have no control, as not a few have iound during the recent “ measles ” epidemic. Trusting the foregoing explanation is sufficiently clear. —Yours, etc., Teacheb.