The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1901. EDUCATIONAL WORK IN TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 137, 3 July 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1901. EDUCATIONAL WORK IN TARANAKI.

' • .11 I'nE annual report of thi .Taraoaki Education Board, lately to band, shows that the w6rk of the Bjard is g. owing in amount as well as in importance The that tha only •ilteration in the personal \i the BjarH was that Mr. Kennedy was t hi ted in p!acs of Mr. G'utfield, who resigned. Tw.o aided schools w-re oper.el during the yearrr-ote at Tahora, and the uthei at Pohokura—both of which'diitrictsre rapidly becoming ssttlsd. Ther are now.'6s schools and two su si*h:d schools under tie Board's eontiol, for the staffing of which there are 48 maU teachers, 66 female, 25 sewing mi - fresses, and 28 pupil teachers, only 7 of whom are miles. An in'eestifg •bstract for the last 24 years shows chat in 1877 there were 23 schools, 30 teachers, and 2 pupil taachers, ths. number of chiUren on the roll b-ing 726, and the average attendance 496. At the close of 1890 there were 65 schools, 86 teachers, 28 pupil teachers, 4,061 children on the roll, with an average attendance of 3,238. This return would hava been more cjmple-. had it also given the figures relating tn income and expenditure for the s me p riod. The Board's income for last year, exclusive of the balance brought down, was £16,978, and its expm'diture £14,796, the balance toge hwj with that of the previous yeir beino fully covered by liabilities. A new school and teacher's residence whs biiit at Tir.utaw*, and the old buildiog at Urenui replaced, b.sides which a rest- j dence had been erected at Eltham ro.id, and.a co'ntr ct let for the recentlycompleted infant school at St'atford. I The report of. the Inspector (Vfr.' Spencer) is, as usml, very int rest''n»! and deals with the eductional work in i a very thorough manner, that of each! salj "ct in tbe syllabus being terg-ly ctiticised, defects being point d out, remedies suggested, anTwhere possible praisa accorded. His main no;ps aud suggestions, however, are not incorpurated in the report, as he has foun 1 it much more productive of good results to is ue these in the form of cir. ulm' to teachers. Th re is no doubt he has in this respect adopted tfce b *t c urse • to p oduce beneficial re6ul s. With regard to reading, he hits a gr. a t b'ot in laying s'resd on the necessity of correct modulation, infl xion aud phra--ing, a<* the tendency hitherto Las been painfully productive of parrot-like monotones, coupled with a to'al loss of . comprehension of the writer's meankg [ Moreover, he has rightly put his finger on the root of the evil, i.e., the peparatory c'asses; and it is very satisfactory to note his views as to the importance of " the best of the teaching s>afl" t king charge of the impressionable and imitative infants. With regard to I sp lling, it is to be regretted that in . composition, etc, it cjntinucs to be poor. The Inspector airily d smisses | .he complaint that pupils c n< ot lesrn spelling, and is of op'non that the percentage of t'ueh children is lit 1 , if a t| , all, g: eater than thos > who a e bind or , iJeaf. This, of rouiw, is a ddb.teab© mi th-ugh moss if those to , whomaecurat j spelling is as natural as ■ correct t-peaking, eaiertein the same idea, the fact temains thi'-ihe great l m ijo. ity bf people ai e deficieLt in th ; s • one lespect in a more or less deg ee. . That iuaprovennr,t can be effect d has been am,..ly demons r.teJ, but theie a v.ry few who will subscribe to Mr. Sp.ncer's dictum tUt spell ng is acquired by visual imprest i. With mauy people haviog pretensions to a

liberal educa'ion bath sp King au ( punctuation arev>ry uncertain quantities. It is sitisfactory to le.in.that the children's wilting me'ts with approval, and that in arithmetic a steidy improvement is shown, though in mental arithmetic the r. suits are f-r from satisfactory. The L.spec'or rightly statei that special lemons in s l iort me ho3s era necessary, • nd it is 11 be hoped he will soo that th > requirement ia a'tea ed to. Oomp • i i?n, tliongh showiug prog<e<s, leaves much room fyr irsaprov m nt, Mr. Spencer s atei the s ibjes'.is b s?twith the grei'es 1 ; difficulty ; but heyund ba?n'ioning that composition is b coming less subordinate to grammar, he 1 avf s the su'^jec l ; where it was. Tnors i-\ a very close affinity between reading and composition. The'r c immin root, of evil ii much the fame, aud si locg as the buloing int-dligenci of th ymnger children is ftd on the trashy j uky lubbish to be found in the infant •' R aders," so long will th-) aftir fruit ba unsjun', anl tbe. bad pirts require nadicating. The much vexed subject ■if scier.es. is at pre-ent, as it nlwiyc has bten in ths elomen'ary schools, ifi i passive ftit9. There is no improvement ; the teaching h only ,'tppr xiuutelywhat it o.ight to b, nndth knowledge acquired is des : gnated rightly as empiric .1. Two causes an as-ignei as the reason for this r suit—(l) Lack of knowledxe on the pirfcof c >acbers; (2) absence <f a pparat us. By removal of the first of these groundthe stcoed obs'.ac'e can ea-ily be overome. In n to obj ct le sans the Inspec'or points out faults in the system, and casts blame on the objec i- ss m books sometimes in use. The system, however, will never be productive of full benefit until the kindergarten system has been thoroughly snd efficiently taken up in all schoo's,! ■and in order to accomplish this a revolution in the teaching staff must take place. Under these circumst incej it s cot surprising that the Inspirtor finds the efforts made "to introlu"e kindergarten wok have met wih little success, except in onesch ol (Kuami), •vhere the excellence of th'o'woik d.me showed the interest and iniolligeno displayed by the pupils. Considering hat the synt-m ia based on prii ciples which quickly commend themselves to infants of a much hwer ag* tlur. t at at which th.ycan be ent ted o. t e sahojl ro'ls, and hs betn pr vel to arouse.enthusiasm for work an I v.t'endtnee at school, a tt:ong edoi-fc should be made to supply this < 1 I ed ica ional me Hum. Th-3 In<i,e;lG" *dvoc*tes the es'ablishment o' sp r t. kiidsrg.rtcn schools in the lug r cen'.re* for pupis und j r school «g , This would be one s'ep in the r g..t lirection ; but the system shoull,.ls> '. be compulsory in all primary schoo's n \\\ etandarJs up to Standard IY. it ha-t. Itj is quite certain, however, that the Boards cannot a"ciraplish this. Che onus lies with the Dep rtroei v , md the it recognisos is duty n this respect the hettt r will it b i f'>r the cusa of education. A considerable space if the Inspector's report is taken up »ih a dissertation on the old giieva.ee" of , "dam." No new facts ar- • adduo d, shough man? quotiio/ s are u a'le us,: of. There is really only one pout to t d>al with in tbe whole q'ie?t : on, and that is how to overcome the ia. ffici ncy of teachers. The Inspector fugie- s es l ablishing a email libraiy uf the •■ e-i, works on education, as he <o aiJ<_r.-i that "some earnest teachers w 11 av.i:i themfelves of the privilege of reading the results of the labour, th ught, and exp'-ri-nce of greit educat" r-'j" Poisibly th's might be. of tome benefit t> "earntstt achers"; but unfi-rli.inately it is with the opposite <Ls< of te iclia-s, thi mere bread perfucc'ory wageearners, that the greatest trouble aris s. An expert and efficient la--fpe-tir should have no d'fficulty in det ctiig ths culpri s, and to weed them out from the ranks of thair profe-sion. Cha retaedy may be dristif, but it isi urgently ieqiired. It is satisfattoiy to find that one of the best feitures in' the schools is the brightnew and e*per-' nesj displayed by the children in replying to oral questions. This exc dlent alacity in o*al'. work is found to be' uiiform and tends to prove that ths, pupils po sj's good abli'y iut-lligence, (which, >f prop rly cultivated, would redound to tho of <he district,

The smaller d.iiry farmers sh uld he well p'eised with the sympi'hetic a'id rational way in which the Ins;;ec or deals with the charge oft n madj (against pareetsof overworking childnn of tender years. He rightly po'nts ou 1 ; that a certain amount of bardsh p is iesepirible from pionier life, but Mvat dairying h-s d sphced a greiter •vil-piverty. Tha euccess of the in-* du-t y, says Mr. .Sp ncr, his put ai end to the small farmer's hird st fo- exs'e ce. Now ejiditions are altered child, ea aro let e.- ckd, n-.u'-ished, b-t'er housed, and theilives made moi e c >mf r'.aMe, and as parents are no-v able toemp'oy labour, the children attend school more reg'ilarly and stay to a later age. Yearly more &ni mor3 pupils reach the standards. A"- 'he sime 'ine he u>-g s. tha 1 . whe-o children h.iv y, assist in miking t <jr.i «h uld 'e p.cpo sanitary o.uj.tiuus and u elter provirfed for the milkers.

The e is o-.e matter of wh'ch to mention is mide, and that is physiral d'i'l. It would have be.-n of i. tere t to know whetterany systeiiat'c »voi k in this direct : on was being carii-d on', and, if to, to what extent. As tha ropo tis sil-ict on tho aubjoc 1 -, it woul I sum t u -at there is nothing tJ be sii 1. If so, this sto be regret-ed, as muc ■ useful and disciplinary work is accom plisbed by this drill, which should b a prominent feature at every school.