MEETING OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 54, 4 October 1864, Page 3

MEETING OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE.

I Ari adjourned meeting of the Education Com--rnittee - -was held in the office of his Honorthe Superintendent yesterday, at half-past 10 o'clock in the forenoon. There were present — Dr. Menzies." Messrs. M' Arthur, Tarlton, Calder, and Chalmers. Dr. Menzies presided. i The minutes, of two. previous meetings -were read and. confirmed. :■' Mr. W. F. Tarlton, Inspector of Schools, submitted a Teport on the state of the schools in the province. It is.gratifying to find that generally, the report ie favorable. The following is a brief condnsation of the document, which is too lengthy for our columns, but which will shortly be put before the public in the columns of the Government Gazette :— Boys' school, Invercargill— attendance, 70 ; education on the whole, judicious. Girls' school—attendance, 21 ; accommodation is not provided for a larger attendance in this school. Riverton School— Attendance 22 Loya ; 9 girls. At South Rivevton, the attendance was 11 boys and 8 girls. Campbelltown school — attendance, 16 boys, and 4 girls. Long Bush school is attended by an average of from 16 to 20 chi'dren ; and that of Aparima by 20. At Myr 8* Bush, a school-house had been erected, but no master has as yet been appointed. At Waianiwa the average attendance is 18. There are thus 8 Government schools in the Province, at which the average attendence is 219. The report then went on to suggest the repeal or modification of the present Education Ordinance. The following are the principal points embraced, viz. : — That the entire management and direction of the education of Government schools in the Province be under the Education Committee. That the committee fix the fees, time of attendance, course of education, standard of acquirements, which each child must accomplish every year, mode of inspection, kc. That all schools and masters' houses be built out of money voted by the Provincial Council for that purpose. That the incidental expenses be borne by the School Committee of the district. That if. on inspection, two-thirds of the children have in their c lucation attained the amount of skill required by the Education Committee standard, the sum of two pounds per head be paid to ea--h teacher in country schools for each child educated, and one pound rer head in Tnvercarjiil] and Riverton. as a contribution from the Treasury towards the teacher's salary. It was argued that, as the f *es would be part of the teacher's salary, it would stimulate the teacher, to increased exertion ; and as he would only be paid by the Government their contribution on condition that his school was in a satisfactory state, it would cause a bc-tter education to be given to each riiil I. I After some further remarks, I Mr. Chat.muks moved that, the consideration of those subreptions bn postponed until Monday the 10th current, at half-past ten o'clock a.m. Mr. M' Arthur seconded the motion. Agreed to. Mr. Tart/tox then read a communication from Mr. Ross, teacher, South Riverton, when it was agreed to request the Provincial Government to pay its proportion of Mr. Ross' salary, and to advise Mr. Ross to take the necessary steps for the recovery of the sura due by the School Committee. Letters from Mr. Fullarton, and from the Aparima School Committe, were now read. Mr. Fullarton made application for a lease of the Educational Reserve at Gummv's Bush, and the meeting approving of the application, it was agreed, on the motion of Mr. Tarlton. that Mr. Fullarton should get ten acres as teacher, and be allowed to rent twenty acres more at £5 a year, for six years — a road being reserved on the south side of the section. A letter was read to the meeting from Mr. Watt, of Campbelltown, when it was agreed that the former school Committee for that place be reappointed. After transacting other business of minor importance, the meeting terminated.