EDUCATION BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Volume I, Issue 102, 7 December 1878, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARD.

An ordinary meetng of this Board was held on Wednesday, December 4th. All the members except Messrs Tate and Inwood were present. The'principal business done was the adoption of the report of the sub-committee, consisting of Messrs Postlethwaite, Barclay, and Goldsmith, appointed to frame a scheme for apportioning teaching staffs and payment of teachers.

The report of the sub-committee proposes to give one head-master to a school having an average under 30, a master and an assistant, or, instead of an assistant, a pupil teacher and a sewing-mistress to a school of 30 to 60. Schools of 60 and upwards to have a full mistress as well as a head-master- Schools of 60 to 100 a pupil teacher in addition ; of 100 to 120, two pupil teachers ; of 120 to 155, an assistant and one pupil teacher : of 155 to 190, two assistants and a pupil teacher. For larger schools two teachers, an assistant, and a pupil teacher to be added for every increase of 70, but the assistant and pupil teacher to be appointed at alternate increments of 35 to the average attendance. The lowest sa'ary proposed to be given to head-mas-ters is Ll2O for an average cf 20 and under ; for any average from 20 to 150 this amount to be increased by LI per head on the increase in the a+tendance. In schools of 150 arid upwards the headmaster will receive L 250, plus 4s, a head on any increase in the average attendance over 150. Mistresses, commencing at LBO in schools of 60, to receive 4s per head on any increase, Second masters, commencing in schools of 120, to receive L 92, plus 4s a head on any increase over 120. Second, third, and fourth mistresses each to receive twothirds of trie next superior mistresse's salary, and third and fourth masters each to receive the same proportion of the next superior master's salary. Infant mistresses, beginning at L6O a-year in infant schools of 60, to receive 2s 6d per head on any increase in the attendance. Pupil teachers would be paid from £2O to LSO, sewing mistresses, say Ll2, and female assistar.ts in schools of 30 to 60, LSO. Appended to the scales was a table, showing their application to the existing schools under the Board.

Mr Barclay, in submitting the report, said that the committee hncl striven to discover and apply some uniform principle of payment to the teachers, and one that would give the teachers an interest in the average attendance, and which would also admit of the easy adjustment of the expenditure of the Board Lo its resources. "With a view to economy. as many pupils as possible were assigned to each teacher. The number assigned varied from 30 in the case of smaller schools, to 37 in the cnse of larger schools, and then became uniform. The report of the General Department showed that the average to each teacher throughout the colony is 29, but they thought this number might safely be increased, and for the sake of economy should be. The principle of payment was the same with that under winch Governmeut supplied the necessary funds", namely, according to the average attendance. On applying the principle of payment to the existing Board schools, a balance or surplus of L 872 is left for other purposes. This surplus might be increased by doing away with the lodging allowance in some cases. The mistress at Geraldine, for instance, is allowed L2O a-year for lodging money, and as her salary under the new scale would come within a pound or two of the total she now received, the lodging allowance might fairly be stopped. As the school increases she will be restored to her present iucome. The allowance of the head-master of the Timaru Schoo ; , LSO, will not be required, as his residence is almost completed. Part of this amount, L 591, is required for lodging money, instruction of pupil teachers, inspection, travelling expenses, rent of Board-room, &c, &c, leaving L2Bl, plus the amount of savings referred to for incidentals of various Muds. In the case of schools < f very low average, it could not be thought an unfair or unwise thing to ask the inhabitants to supplement the salary of the teacher until the average rose, so as to give a fair salary. Mr Postlethwaite moved the adoption of the report. It was based upon a thoroughly fair principle—that as the work increased, so did the payment. Mr Goldsmith seconded the adoption of the report. Mr Gillies saw serious objections to the report, and thought the question of its adoption should be postponed, to give time to the members to consider it. For his own part he would like to have time to woik out the table of payments, and should be inclined to move that its adoption should be postponed. Mr Barclay objected to any postponement. The report was substantially the same as the former one. Everyone on the Board knew the principles underlying it. Mr Gillies said the principles might be the same, but certainly some of the figures were not. Five shillings had been talked of where he now saw four. It was not fair to ask the Board to outer upon a discussion, or to adopt the report in this hurried way. Mr Barclay said that the alteration referred to had been made because it was found that the giving 5s a-head for the increase- in schools over 150 would leave

to small a margin for working expenses. There had been tho least possible deviation from the principles laid down, it was impossible to draw up a scheme that would please all the members and all teachers.- The scheme now submitted, it adopted, would be found as equitable and as workable as any scheme that could be framed. The" Chairman regretted that there was not a full meeting. (Four members were up to this time absent.) The matter had been before the Board two or three months, and ought to be settled. thought it only fair that, as the first port had been printed and circulated ■ amongst the people, some little tirae jß should be given to a consideration of present line. • - Mr Gillies said he would move that the discussion be postponed for a fortnight. Mr Postlethwaite said that he had come to the meeting at great inconvenience to himself because of the importance of the subject now being dealt with, but country members could not afford to come in day after day to consider this question. It ought to have been settled long ago. Tho town members tnight to have been present, so that the matter could be settled. Mr Gillies did not excuse the town members for their absence. He was not objecting to the immediate adoption of the report because some members were absent, but because it was put before the members now for the first time. Mr Postlethwaite was not consistent. He urged the importance of this question, and at the same time wished it hurried over without receiving the consideration it deserved. The fairest way would be to consider the report at a special meeting to be held that day fortnight. As he however, that there was no chance of his suggestion being acted upon, he would bring forward some of his objections at once.

The Chairman said that as the first report was printed and circulated before being discussed, it seemed only fair that this one should be placed in the same position. Mr Barclay could not agree to any postponement. He could not be present, as he would be one hundred inibs away.

Mr Gillies then expressed his objections to the report. The sub-committee appeared to have striven after an ideal of mere uniformity. Any one who know 3 anything about education must knowthat small schools in country districts must have a much lower average for the teacher thau large schools. Teachers in large schools might be assigned fifty children eacn, for classification and division of labour enabled the work to be done more easily. The working of the schema would give a great advantage to large schools m the matter of staff.. The scheme previously proposed was said to be unfair to countiy schools, but the working of that scheme would show that the country schools had an advautoge in the matter of staff. In the lower schools, where the muster had to do the whole work of the school, he should have a lower average thau the master in the higher schools, where there would be a possibility of a sub-divisiou of labour. The first report recognize! this, and accordingly only gave twenty-five to each teacher in the lowest school. Under this report they must work up to thirty fore receiving assistance. Thirty was a \ very small average for a teacher in a large school- He nau lateiy seen sixtythree in one class. As regardeil the proposed scale of salaries, ■ t.ieao was nothing s zv snow liow it answered in application. Toe table attached only gave totals, and it would take some time 10 work out the details. The figures given at the last meeli.ig made to tnu a.i vantage of headmasteis, and to the disadvantage of second masters. Tne former scaie had been rejected on account of some letters written by school committees concerning _ it. T.ie cummitteeo know nothing of the new scheme, and an opportunity should be afforded them to become acquainted with it. It was unjusi to teachers to make their salaries rise and fall witli the changing weather, or health of the schUars. Tie would like to know what his rev friend would think of a proposition to vary his salary according t& Varying attendance at his ministrations. (Mr Barclay : that's a different matter.) He did not see that it was a different matter. Allowance must be made for bad weather and epidemics, and country teachers were much more likely to suffor from these causes than towu teachers.. Salaries would be lower in winter, when, household expeuses were higher. Another fact that the scale took no notice of was that the town schools, aud therefore the salaries of town teachers, must increase at a more rapid rate than those of country schools. Tnis would give the town teachers an unfair advantage in the rate of promotion. The couutry may well say, "Save me from my Mends," for really country schools were not being considered as they ought to be. No scheme that does not take into account the differences of this kind, and which proceeds upon mere arithmetical and mechanical rules, can be satisfactory. The General Government have followed this principle for ease, leaving it to the Boards to devise schemes better suited to local circumstances.

Mr Uill'es' amendment for postponing the adoption of the report was put and lost, and the original motion adopting the report agreed to. It was further resolved that the new scale should come into force at the end of the pre.-ent quarterMr Barclay having pointed out that the report just adopted did not cover the whole lield, but that the payment, and _ other matters relating to pupil teachers, and the granting of lodging money waa not included, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr Giliies, to refer these matters to the sub-committee to report upon at the next ordinary meeting. A ballot was then taken to determine what members should retire in March next, lu order to avoid the iuvidiousness of the ballot used alone, lots were hrst drawn with the understanding that those on whom the lots iell should ue ballotted out. Messrs Beiheid, Barclay, and Tate, were thus chosen, and afterwards balloted , out to fulfil the letter of the law. Mr Granger intimated his intention o£'-'v resigning his seat on the Board. Mr Barclay then presented the revised report of the sub-cummittee on tne question of scolaislnps. Tne funds granted by the General Government tor scholarships, Is 6d per head on tne average attendance, would give four scholarships of the value' ' of twenty-live, thirty, iMity, and ioity - pounds respectively, and leave a balance of live pound* for small expenses. It

yr&a recommended _. that Ja case any scholarship was 'not competed for, or not assigned-,, it should be applied to making one or more additional scholarships for another class. Mr Howell thought the list of subjects for. examination was so " stiff" that there would not be many scholarships given. "Mr Gillies was sorry he could not support the recommendations of the committee. The money is given for the promotion of primary education, and nothing should be included in the list of subjects for examination that was not taught in every public school. Only one or two schools will be able to send up children for some of the scholarships, because the branches referred to are not part of the ordinary school course. Preparation for these scholarships ought not to interfere with the' working of the school. The scheme ought to fit into the regular work, and .come in as a stimulus to the masters, not in the way'of inducing cramming, but by inducing them to do their work more completely in the ordinaiy branches. It was not the subjects but the graduation of the subjects that he objected to. Masters must adhere to the standards, and under the new standards laid down by Government it will be as much as the teachers can do to work up to them. If new standards are, laid down for scholarships, it will give the teachers more than they can get through. The work should be confined to the ordinary standards.' This was one principle, that should have been adopted, and another was that the scholships should be tenable for two. or still better, for three years. If given for one year, the pupil might cram for the examination and then cease his efforts. He should be encouraged to goon. If held for two years, ; theprize would give the boy an opportunity of going to a superior school, as it would cover a considerable part of the expense of his maintenance. Differences should be made in the amounts granted. A boy residing at home near a superior school should not receive so much as one whose attendance at such a school entailed a greater, expense. In the subjects for examination history was given too high a place, having as many marks allotted to it'as arithmetic. Children could learn little or nothing from history. To give history as many marks •as arithmetic, which cultivates the intellect in a much higher degree, was a mistake. Then reading was assigned moie than half as many "marks as arithmetic. While acknowledging the importance of good reading, it must be admitted that reading is so difficult a thing to judge that it cannot properly be given a high place in competitive examinations. He would have preferred a scholarship scheme of a dif ferent kind, one based on the work of the ordinary fourth, fifth, and sixth standards, the scholarship to be payable quarterly on condition of favorable reports being received. The time appointed for the examinations—February—was the worst month in the year for the purpose. Neither teachers nor pupils could enjoy • their .holidays, as they must either work through them or fear to fall back hopelessly. The same remarks apply to the examination of pupil teachers. , Mr Barclay, replying to Mr Gillies' said that, with one slight exception, the subjects were within the ordinary school programme, and it was only in the fourth .or highest class that those extr-i introduced. These «'xtra subjects would serve 10 bridge over the chasiii between the ordinary and the ■high schools. The committee were not wedded to any particular proportions of marks for the subjects, but he (Mr Barday) differed from Mr Gillies in his estimation of tlie values of the subjects. History is far more adapted to cultivate the intelleet than any science like arith metic. The extra subjects were inserted because it is very unlikely that there will be ■more than three of four high schools in the district, and it would be much to be regretted if \the secondary education of scholars were to Timaru, Waimale, Temuka, and~Geraldine.—lt is quite possible that there may be masters in other schools competent to teach these subjects ; and the scholarships should not be confined to children attending the Board's schools, as suggested by Mr Gillies. There might be many boys educating themselves, and these deserved special encouragement. As to the x*ehv tion of holidays to examinations, he did not think it of very much consequence. The beginning of the year was a natural starting point for this as for other th'ngs. During the holidays the scholar mi»ht work or not as he pleased, but it was clear that, released from the ordinary school routine, he ought to make greater progress, if he chose to work, during the time. He would have no objection to have the scheme remitted for further consideration. On the motion of Mr Postlethwaite, the report was referred back for further consideration. Resolutions were passed respecting the purchase of sites for Opihi, Fairlie Creek, and Waituna Creek schools. A petition from residents in Wai-iti district, re the site of the school, was referred to the committee. Tenders were ordered to be called for the erection of buildings at Opihi and Totara Valley, and plans ordered for buildings at Waituna Creek. The Secretary gave an account of what steps had beau taken to procure a school site for North Orari. The Governor has been recommended to proclaim a small block of five acres which had been partially reserved in section 27712 (?) a sehool reserve, and this will probably be don-r in due course. The Secretary's' report upon the proposed South Ornri school stated that the inhabitants preferred having their district erected into a full district in preference to its being a side school district. They -offered.to coutribute £3O a year for maintenance of a master in case of any deficiency. It was decided to refer the proposeo boundaries of the district to the committees of Geraldine and Winchester to ascertain if they have any objection to

losing part of their districts. Mr° Gillies said that a letter had been concerning the election of two "raembeis of the Board to he members of thb Bo ii'd of Governors of the Timarii High School, Mr Postlethwaite i>roposed Messrs Belfield and Barclay.

Mr Gillies thought that Mr Tate had

so much interest in matters-that the Board, bethought, could scarcely v pass him by. Tt was of great importance that members of the High School Board should be easily accessible, especially during the first year. He would mopose M r Tate.

A poll waa then taken, resulting in the returnof-Messrs-Biirehy-and-Belfield. The Secretary having reported on the state of the Pleasant Point school, it was resolved to have plans for additions prepared. The Board then adjourned till Wednesday next.