TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 170, 27 October 1910, Page 3

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

"We have given the provisions of the Act somewhat fully, because we consider these provisions show that the committee of the school to Which the teacher is to be removed is the body to be consulted, and not the teacher himself. We cannot find any authority for the proposition that the consent of the teacher must be obtained before the Board can remove him from one school to another; and, in our opinion, the Legislature never intended to place so unreasonable a restriction upon education boards in administrating the Act." CLASSIFICATION SCHEME.

The inspectors' report on the letter from the Teachers' Institute in regard to the classification scheme was received and approved, and it was resolved to forward a copy to the Teachers' Institute.

PROPOSED NEW SCHOOLS. Several settlers at Tongaporutu asked that a school should be opened in the Tongaporutu Hall and be run as a halftime school in connection with the present Tongaporutu school.—The Tongaporutu _ School Committee forwarded" a resolution in support of the petition.— Resolved, that the matter be referred to the chief inspector, who will report to next meeting. An application by settlers of Mt. Messenger for a school in that locality was dealt with similarly. A petition was forwarded by three settlers, representing seven children, asking for a school on the Ihaia road, Opunake. The .secretary is to ascertain whether the settlers will provide a building. TECHNICAL EDUCATION. On the motion of Mr. Cargill, it was resolved that Mr. Heatlev, technical organiser, confer with Mr. Ballantyne, director, and submit at the next meeting of the Board a report embodying suggestions for the organisation of 'technical work throughout the district during the forthcoming year. ° Mr. H. A. Stratford, headmaster of' the Inglewood School, wrote accepting the position of superintendent of the Inglewood Technical School. A FALLING ATTENDANCE. Miss E. Brickell, teacher at Taurakawa, wrote that three out of the five children at present attending that school would be leaving the district in a week or two, and requested the Board's instructions as to closing the school 01 otherwise.—The Hoard decided to defer the matter pending enquiries as to whether other children will attend.

-MONTHLY MEETING. ! The liicotiiiy of the Education Heard was continued yesterday morning, ul. the members being present. TEACHERS' MOVEMENTS. The resignation of Mr. E. Turner, sole teacher, and Mrs. Turner, sewing mistress (Kina), and Mr. \V. S. Syme, pupil teacher (Ngaere) were accepted. Appointments were made as follows; Taraia (sole teacher), Miss Eraser; Klui pului (sole teacher), Mr. A. a. Day. It was resolved to forward the names 01 Misses J. M. Metson and M. Steele to the Lincoln committee for appointment, and of Misses J. Raplev and Jean Lind sey to the Kina committee. Leave of absence was granted to Mrs. Warner (Koru), Miss Bicheno (I'ruti), Miss Lawrence (Stratford), and Mr. Evetts (West End), on account of illness, and to Miss A. C. Iva Westrup (West End) and Mr. L. Black (Opua) to enable them to attend examinations. TRANSFER OF TEACHERS.

Messrs. Govett and Quilliam, solicitors to the Board, forwarded their opinion with reference to the Board's power in regard to the transfer of teachers as follows: "We are of opinion that tiltBoard has full power to transfer a teacher from one school to another without the teacher's consent. Before the trans fer can be made the committee of the school to which the teacher is to be transfex red must be consulted. By sectioii 54 of the Education Act, I'JOS, the Board' has express power to remove teachers from one school to another within the district, and section 5.3 (2) provides that the committee shall be consulted. The same section (as amended by section 14 of the Education Amendment Act, 1008) prescribes the manner in which the committee is to be consulted. The Board must send to the chairman of the committee the name of the teacher proposed to be transferred, with a statement oi his length of service and other qualifications. If the committee desires to express any opinion or make any recommendation the same must be forwarded to the Board three days before the appointment of the teacher to the new school is to be made, and the Board must take the committee's opinion or recommendation into consideration before making the appointment. The Board must also take into consideration the fitness for the vacant position of all the teachers (if aiiy) in the employment of the Board, who have signified to the Board their desire for transfer. Whilst the Board is, as above stated, bound to consult the committee before making any transfer, in our opinion, the! Board is not bound in any way by the committee s views. In Lvne v. Wellington Education Board, decided by Mr. Justice Chapman in November, 1908, His Honor says: "The Board must hold a bona fide consultation with the committee, without which it cannot act. It need not act upon the committees views. It may, indeed, set them aside; but it must listen to and consider them."

FREE SCHOOL HOOKS. A letter was received from Mr. G. Hot*lien. Inspector-General of Schools, stating that a grant for of certain free text hooks to children attending Standard IV. in public schools would be available next year under certain conditions. The grant- would be 5s 3d per head on the roll number of Standard I\\. and its purpose would be to provide each pupil with a general miscellaneous reader, u supplementary reader, ;ui historical reader, an arithmetic book and either an atlas or geographical reader. Tt was not anticipated thai th'? grant each year would be sufficient io provide a new set of books each year, but merely to meet wear and tear and enable the supply to be renewed at reasonable intervals. Mr. Kennedy moved that the Board protest against the further pro]iosals of the Department to provide extra free books, especially as no provision is made that each child shall have a clean copy on entering the standard affected, and are of opinion that the money can be better expended and in a way' that will give more general satisfaction than in such an inadequate and insanitary manci'- —Mr. A. Morton seconded. Mr. Trimble opposed the resolution. Tie considered the principle of free books was a proper one. It was the only method by which they could get rid of the constant outcry against buying fresh books. . a

) The motion was carried, .Messrs. Trim-1 ble, Rogers and Adlam voting against it. , CENERAL. ( The action of the Pembroke School j Committee in closing the school on ac- [ count- of the illness of the headmaster's wife, was confirmed, as was also the action of the Punewhakau and Raupuha committees in closing on account of epidemics. The Pukeho School Committee asked when the Board intended to call applications for a permanent teacher for the Pukeho School. The committee is to be informed that the Board will take their j request into consideration when making transfers and appointments in Decern- < ber, In accordance with the recommenda- ] tioii of the Bird School Committee, it I was resolved that the Bird School close i for the Christmas vacation on Friday, December 23. and re-open on Monday, i February G, 1911. 1 Mr. Amoore was granted permission c to close the Tataraimaka School on October 31. The Rowan School Committee is to be informed that the Board is satisfied with the teacher's explanation, and sees no good .reason for the re-opening of the matter. The foreman is to be instructed to of schools and residences, returnable at of schools and residences returnable at the next meeting of the Board. The fencing of the Waihi School grounds was left in the hands of Mr. Halcombe.

, 4fr. Turner, Tataraimaka, is to be informed that, the Board has no objection to Mrs. Turner taking up position as post mistress. The Stratford A. and P. Society are to he informed that the question of granting of a holiday on the occasion of the Stratford Show is in'the hands 01 the various committees interested.

The Education Department notified that a grant of £177 had been made for the establishment of a school at Ackland. It was resolved that the fore-.-■an be ir.siiijf.-d o rrn r »<. ( [ with He erection of the Ackland School. Mr. John Penwarden, chairman of the Tataraimaka School Committee, who is shortly leaving for Dannevirke, forwarded lus resignation as a member of the committee. The resignation was accepted. and the committee will be asked to fill the vacancy. The action of the Pihama School Committee in closing the school for five days on account- of the accidental death of the headmaster's son was confirmed, and it wis resolved that the svmpathv of the Board be conveyed to Mr. and Mrs. Mason ir their trouble.