Education Matters.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 65, 21 March 1904, Page 2

Education Matters.

CAPITATION TO COMM[TTEES. THE NATIONAL SCHOLAKSHIPS. The .Minister ol' Education has completed arrangements for paying to school committees the extra capitation of Ud, us provided under the second schedule of the. Public School Teachers Salaries Act (says the Otago Daily 'limes). The money must (A) pluid through -tlKi Ikxajpd't'O Uw; committees unless tin; liourtls express a wish that it should go to the committees direct, und, unless so advised, the Minister intends to send the money to the Hoards, at tilt! same time forwarding to school committees a statement showing the amount to which they are each entitled. The Premier has, by Order-in-Counc.il, brought into operation the second .schedule of tile Act increasing the capitation vote from lis ;!d to 12s.

| The Minister for Education, spcak- | ing at Kaitangatu the. other day, jsaid that under the Secondary I Hchools Act of last session there 1 would bo this year over 100U boys i and girls in free places in the secondary schools of the colony. With regard to national scholarships, lie stated that this year there would be about i;ju pupils taken and maintained free during portion of their educational course. lie was trying' lo arrange the national scholarships as to ensure every child having a chance. For one thing, he would have 110 luoj'e "Chinese puzzles" examination papers. The questions were not lair, and hu would j.ot ask the gentleman who .fixed the last papers to do so again, even though he were the 1 nspculor-Cencr-al. As lo the age limit, his mind was not made up, but lie udniilled there was a great deal to be said in favour of removing tile restriction. As to education generallv, he believed we were Ix-lfer off iiere under tile Hoard system than the Victorians were with central control bill lie I bought Unit the Hoards should have reasonah'e linance, and lie contended thai, if «e wanted as teachers men most competent lo do litis important work, we must give them increased pay. No on,. i ilk . v , much Hie luture of the colony depended upon our teachers. To give theiu a lucre miserable pittance, and make them feel that in their old age there was nothing fo look lol warU to. was placing then, in a position no one would envy.

Mr Thomas .Mackenzie, MM i> ■sard that, whilst people appreciated the good work the Minister for Kdutation had done in exli-uding secondary education to so many pupils there was still a ilaw in the regulations, winch limited the age of admission to lourteeu years. This worked exceedingly hard against country schools, whereby, through irregularity of attendance caused bv '»vaks in teaching and oi.mr reasons. many of the pupils sulfeivd. I Ivo I reuuer was now grantim. equality ot opportunity to n i) i,..', this limitation of age would ' bar many ot the most capable children » country districts from obtaining of , U i" hi K hwit «"«•»- h- i/ ;u ■ 1 w " s •hat. luiglil boys at school were not -always the most successful in afterItk. and that some of the greatest minds were slow in developing and )t would be wrong if s „ ch m , n : led lor nil time from obtaining free secondary education. Il ( . honed ~' «»■ limit would be struck ou, """