EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 57, 25 July 1912, Page 7

EDUCATION BOARD.

MONTHLY MWLVJ. The'monthly meetiag of the Hcliu-atinii Board was continued at the Board's office yesterday, wn :n all tin: mcwl'iis were present. OVERSEER':! RXJ'i.iHT. The overseer (Mr. '.'. IL Mooiv) imported that the new scin'ii anil lC'/.d-mee at Pukearuhe were no«v completed and ready for occupation. The Wh:i:;yamomona residence wo nd he erected as soon as the timber ivh'e'.i had heen ordered came to hand. a'tirUicns and additions to Bird road school would le attended to during the holidays, t o as lot to interrupt school work. iJoneral repairs had been attenhd to at Fiizi oy. new outhouses and .atrmes having bei'n erected. While the school was cifsr-d the inside had been and the outside was now being itV.»nded to. 'ine new shelter-shed ui.l fencing u Wain; were receiving attait-.w. General repairs were being done at the Ont ai and Courtenay schools. He had visited Norfolk road school re tii.; better jigging of the school. Je had removeo°the frosting from the l :id v. iiv.lr.,". 11 is improved the light, ')M no: suP'V'i ntly for the whole class roo n. The w'nriows at the back were too lo'V to prcx-iee a [good light. Ho therefore reconmiU'dtd that a skylight be pi iccil in each rtom at a total cost of .2s. Jle aL-o reerrmended that cowls be placed on the residence chimneys. Alterations to one of the Urenui fireplaces :..vd bee'i effec-ed to remedy the. smoke uo ' rile. A lauiior stove had been sent to Tongap*.. 1i u. Four new stoves nad been ordered, : i,d on arriving one would le jeir to R.idnor school. A new lar-'-. had been •. r dered for Rowan. Plans had been irepared for alterations ani additions to J schools at Omata, Til-oiangi, and Miiik- > ers, and also for a temporary school at 1 Ihaia.—The report was received. !

FINANCIAL MATTERS. The Pukeho selio-jl committee wi!! he informed that the .I'oicd canr.ot sej its way to apply to ihe Department i&- a residence.

At Newall the Loa>d will puv ror a drain along the school boundan. ;,i<! the overseer will report on repa'ri to the building. The overseer was instructed tj en :i a tank, to be supplied by the iju.u'd. at Oco. He will also report on out o;Fecs at Okoke and Bell Block; also on lie lighting of the Tariki school, and the need for an extra porch at Puuiho. The following matters were !.>fi, in the hands of the chairman, with power to act:—Purangi, material for .loor of shelter-shed; Waihi, supply of pipes for drainage and fencing material: fencing material at Piko; gravel for shelter-shed at Tarurutangi; gate and gate posts at Lower Mangoreij pipes for Hu.iakauia; supply of hedge plants and posts at Ratapiko, and hedge plants at Fitzroy Cardiff, Huirangi, Tarata, Hillsborough, and Lepperton. The matter of new desks at Piliama and hyloplate and desks at Fitzroy were referred to thei nspector.

APPLICATION FOR NEW SCHOOL. Messrs. G. Rao, C. Harris, and G. McKenzie waited on the Board in support of an application for a new school at Ohonga, somewhere near the junction of the Waia.u..and Inland North Toads. They pointed out that their formal application, which reached the Board that day, contained the names of forty-six children, twenty-five of whom were of school age. The proposed site was four miles from the Urenui school and over three miles from Waihi and Tikorangi schools. Of the children affected some twelve or thirteen were attending the schools mentioned. There wa.s no school reserve available,'hut a site could be secured about one and a quarter or one and a half miles from the main road.— The inspectors will visit the locality and J report at next meeting. :

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS. ] Mr. R. L: Mcllroy, secretary of the ■ Taranaki Teachers' Institute, wrote in connection with school holidays, .pointing out that the institute was informed that the allocation of holidays made recently, viz.. a week at Easter and a week at the end of August (which they understood was made for the present year only) was intended to be permanent. The institute therefore asked that the holidays might lie so arranged as to come at the same time as those of the secondary schools, that is a week at the beginning 0 f May ami one at the bo«iiiii!iiar 0 f September. Thev pointed out that most of the pupils in the Hiirh School had brothers or sisters at the primary schools, and it would be advantageous to have their holidays at the same time. .Moreover, a week in May made a more suitable break in the vear than one at Easter, which generally c'ume eight or nine weeks after the midsummer ( holidays, and made, the lirst term too (short, whilst the second term was unduly long. The suggested arrangement would divide the year more evenly. On the motion of Messrs. Morton and Kennedy, it was resolved that the Board regrets that it was unable to make any alteration in the holidays at present SCHOOL COMMITTEES'' LIMITATIONS Mr. Thos. Buchanan, secretary of the Waitara school committee, advi'sed that the annual (adjourned) meeting , of householders called for June 24' again failed to draw an attendance. Some of the reasons advanced were that in the matter of teachers the Board did not give the school fair play, that temporary teachers were placed there for short per- |

luus, ;'.nu muse appointed permanent] y to fill vacancies at other .schools (Miss Bernstein, for instance), and the suggestion made to replace Mr. Moore did not appeal to parents as being the proper method of procedure; that it hardly seemed necessary for nine persons to undertake the expenditure of some £l6 per annum in paying the ordinary running expenses of the school, that being the_ HTiiount left over from the Board's capitation after some annually recurring items were paid, that the committee have to sit in solemn conclave for. Further that the legitimate .application of the committee for a new fence round the school grounds had not received the consideration the committee considered it deserved, as during the year the com-

mitten had paid to the Board the sum of £4O as half cost of the erection of shelter sheds, and per medium of eoncerts paid into the school account over £2o. These amounts have been subscribed by the public of Waitara. and they were firmly of opinion that the Board should ereet, wholly at their own cost, a suitable fence around the school property, and not ask the committee to do it out of the small subsidy received from the Hoard. In -fact, they could not do so. and but for the amounts received from a public source thev would have I found themselves in credit to the ex-

tent of 7s sd, a loss of Is sd. Anv suggestions that the Board had to make fn regard to carrying out the duties for the I coming year he would be only too pleased to assist in carrying out. The letter was received. SPECIAL OBSERVATION SCHOOLS. The report submitted bv the inspectors (Messrs. Ballantyne and Whetter) to the Board of Education at last meeting, re the establishment of special observation schools at which inexperienced teachers, especially from the backblocks, could receive a month's practical experience in teaching under the most advantageous conditions, was forwarded to the boards in the Dominion, At yes--1 terday's meeting replies were received from the North Canterbury, Southland and Grey board... stating that the matter had been referred to committees of the boards or to the inspectors for their report, and from the Westland Board agreeing with the necessity for such a scheme. The Auckland Board of Educa-

tion forwarded a copy ol the report which its chief inspector (Mr. E. K. Mulgan) had drawn up on the proposal. His report was as follows:—"Jn this and in other education districts throughout the Dominion there are, unfortunately, large numbers of uncertificated teachers, some of whom are practically without experience, and hence are incapable of discharging efficiently the important i duties inseparable from the work in- ' volved, Many of them are without knowledge of the standard of attainment and effort reached by the best schools, and so are unable to realise their limitations, willi the result that the level of progress attained by their pupils is unduly low. Most of them, moreover, are so far removed from centres where the more efficient schools are in operation that it would be both costly and inconvenient to permit or require them to make use ' of such schools for purposes of observation. Besides it is the small sole-charge, school front a visit to which they would derive most lasting benefit, and this , type, in general, owing to its isolation, and to the low salary it carries, does J not attract the kind of teacher likely '• to act as a model and inspiration to the '■ inexperienced. A few small schools, < scattered throughout the district ill convenient centres and staffed by specially selected and really efficient teachers. - would afford the facilities required. r :To' y tlte "Observation Schools" the • most ' promising of the inexperienced teachers ' could from time to time be sent, to the manifest benefit of themselves and of the community amongst whom they are at work. The teachers in charge would require to be specially efficient in that their schools would* be regarded as models, and their methods and aims would have far-reaching effects on the service, and in order, moreover, that any detriment to progress caused by the presence of any visiting teachers may be minimised. In order to secure the type of teacher needed it would be neces-! sary to provide considerably higher salaries than scale conditions at present allow, and this could be accomplished only by either a modification in the present salary scheme, or a .special'grant from the Department. I would recomi mend that the matter be brought under j the notice of the Department, and applicaion be made for a grant to enable ! the board to establish, .say, half-a-dozen "Observation Schools" in convenient centres throughout the district, staffed by specially trained teachers." The assistant Inspector-General of Schools acknowledged receipt of the report covering the scheme, and added that the proposal would receive consideration. He pointed out. however, that tlie salaries of teachers in public schools being determined by statute the Department had no authority to vary the amounts in special cases. GENERAL. The Technical Director's recommendation that Miss Aannie Frethey'g technical fee of 5s be remitted was received and adopted. In answer to the Durham School Committee's request for the re-openinw of an inquiry, it was resolved that" the Board is of opinion that no good purpose could-be served by re-opening the question. Mr. E. Kelleher wrote offering to lease the education reserve at Stratford.— Left in the hands of Mr. Masters, with power to act.

In response to the Stratford committee's request to he allowed to alter the holidays to August 12, it was resolved that the Board cannot grant the alterations asked for.

The following teachers were granted leave of absence owing to illness:—Miss Spence, pupil-teacher, Central; Miss Cooper, assistant, Urenui; Miss Mvnott, assistant, West End; Miss Gleeson, assistant, Central; Miss Mackay, sole teacher, Kahui; Miss Riordan, assistant, Waitara; Miss Mead, sole teacher, Huirangi, and Miss Edwards, sole teacher, Makahu.

After the contractor (Mr. Boon) and the architect (Mr. Sanderson) had waited on the Board, it was resolved that the architect's report on the Stratford school should be received and that the contractor be paid the amount of the final payment less the sum of COO, being £1 per day on 00 working davs for the delay in completion of the contract in accordance to the time fixed. The Raupuha school committee wrote protesting against the removal of Mr. Lay, who has been teaching at that school with good results. Thev considered that when a teacher suited" he should not be transferred within at least two years.

The appointment of Mr. J. T. Ross as member of {he Mahoe committee, vice Mr. Astbury. resigned, and of Mr. K. A. Shaw to the Okau committee, in place of Mr. 11. Rowe, resigned, were confirmed. Mr. Masters' notice of motion re alteration of meeting hour was held over until next meeting, as was also a petition from Rahotu residents .re removal of the head teacher.

_ Mr. Uiilcombe's report on the proposed site for a school at Mimi was received and adopted. The letter from the Mount Messenger school committee re residence for teacher was referred to Mr. A. 11. Halcombe. with power to act. Mr. P. S. Whiteombe, returning officer, notified that Messrs. A. Morton, Jas. Young, and R. Masters had been Teelectcd unopposed. The chairman reported that he had | visited Waiongona in company with two members of the school committee. Aa a result he recommended that notice he given the adjoining owners to repair half |<lie fences and also cut half the hedge, also that the committee be provided with the necessary posts to repair the other

half, lie ii.ho remm mended that the committee be supplied with the necessary pipes for the drain required, the committee to do the labor. The secretary of the Kina school committee wrote asking if the Board would take over their school and ground under the Public Works Act, as thev could not expect the Board to make any improvements to the property on account of having no permanent title. A bonus of £7 10s was paid to Miss Tiplady as remuneration for extra work while in charge of the cookery classes during the illness qf Mias McDonald, cookerv instructress.