The Thames Government Schools.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3157, 1 April 1879, Page 2

The Thames Government Schools.

In an article) which appeared in the second issue of the Auckland Free Press, on 18th of last month, entitled '? Our Schools," the writer made some general remarks ou the Government system of education, followed -by details as to the numbers, &c, of the Auckland: public cchools. We would present oar readers with a brief notice of those on the Thames Goldfield, and.confine ourselves to local particulars. ;;': ." . Great additions and improrements in the school accommodation at the Thames hare been made—are still making, and: have yet to be made. Beginning at the northern end of the townships, a district under the educational control of the Tararu committe, we find that a new school building for over 3CO pupils was .erected and opened last year, the two. previously existing schools being merged; into it. The edifice forms a conspicuous; object from the deck of a steamer coming from Auckland, situated as it is on the Tararu road, close to the beach. The total number oj the roll, 225, is not up to the space available, but the school would soon prove small enough were.an; influx of population to set in, as has often happened before, and may easily occur again on a goldfield. We come next to the central Grahams-: town school, which, with the three side schools of Eureka, Punga Flat, and last,: but not least, Waibtahi Creek, are under the management of the Waiotahi com-; mittee. The Thames school ; (as the principal piae^is called) suffers greatly! from the miserable building in which it! is held; but a fine new school, on ta similar plan to the Wellesley-street school in Auckland, is now in course of erection; on a very central site. It will hold 500; scholars, and wiil be ready in a month or, two. And as it will be at once the most central and most important school on the! field, we would suggest that its present; somewhat indefinite name be altered. It' might be fitly named Grahamstown or the Borough School. The Waiotahi; Creek school has recently been enlarged, to twice its former size. i

The Kauaeranga Committee have two schools—one for boys, the other for girls —under their charge. The former suffered for a long time from frequent change of teachers and the unsuitableness of the temporary building in which it was held, but since the appointment of the present head master, about two years , ago, followed by the opening of a large and commodious new building, it has trebled its number, and become the largest public school out of Auckland. The, applications for admission after the recent holidays were so numerous, that after taking a considerable number beyond the strict aocomodation provided, the committee hed to advertise that no more could be received, the register showing 430 names and an average attendance during the first week of-389. The girls' school has been some years under the charge of a very efficient mistress, and is also crowded beyond its capacity, many girls having to be received at the boys' school until the new school—now for some time decided on—is erected.

The remaining schools in the neighborhood of the Thames are small, and call for no special remark. The urgent need of a secondary eduoation will be shortly met by the erection of a boys' and girls' high school, for which an Act was passed last session. Valuable, endowments are granted, and the board of governors has been recently appointed and held its first sitting very lately. An annual examination, open to »U tne Government schools has been held for some years past. The prizes, four in number, of the value respectively of £2 2s, £1 Is, 15s, and 10* 6d, are offered by the Joint School Committees of the Thames. Papers in hittory, geography, and arithmetic we set. Last year they were prepared by Mr O Sullivan, Inspector of Schools, and the previous year by Mr Macrae, Head Master of the Auckland Grammar School. . The supervision of the examinations is in the hands of the head teachers and local committees, some of whom arrange to attend at the place of examination, and the prizes are awarded on the judgment of three examiners unconnected with the schools, to whom the names of the competitors are unknown. This annual event excites much interest, 50 candidates—the flower of the various

schools having come up last time. It serves also as a test of their comparative efficiency. In 1877 the first and fourth prizes fell to Kauaeranga Girls' School, and the second and third to Kauaeranga Boys' School. In 1878 Tararu School carried off 'he first, and Kauaeranga Boys' School the remaining: three. One of the successful candidates from the latter school also gained a district scholarship, an unusual honour for a school out of Auckland, although the Thames has taken three at different periods since these useful incentives to primary school pupils were established. . Although the Thames was from the first strongly in favor of Government education ; when introduced * under the Auckland Provincial "Act,." yet a large number of people continued to suppose that a better education was to be had in the numerous small private schools existing in the borough, but; that this opinion is surely, if slowly-—changing is proved by the fact that the number of such schools is less, and tho^e still in existence have a smaller attendance than formerly. We subjoin a table furnished by the courtesy of Mr Bice, Secretary to the Education Board, showing the annal returns of the public schools for thPpast two ye?-s, and although the net increase in the average attendance is smal 1, the percentage is higher in _1878 than 1877, and it must be borne in mind that the faci of the numbers not having declined—in the face of a constantly diminishing population, caused by the depre^ion m the mining industry,' which ba* existed all through the period covered by the returns —really shows that Government schools have advanced materially in public estimation. COMPABATIVE STATEMENT OP THB NttMBXB ' • ,;• imt AvBBAGB AxAndakc* ow Schpt abs AT THE THAME3 PUBLIC SCHOOIB 708 THB DeCEMBES QU.A7ITEBS Of 1877 AM) 1B78:

1977. ', Nr-nbcrs * i Atten(l».nc«. Avenra. „ -STV-. Ftf* T. IPs. FmK TL TaiftVU .. ' ■ ;v.. : «■..):; O. W,-U)M f-;W 60 Shellbac'r , .. 90 ~ 63 153 65 115 Emfc.. ..16 19 35 « M 26 Pi'.DsaFlat .. 13 11 29 17 9 26 WoSaSi Crfei= 89; ;81 M7o>.; 'r 68? ,61; 129 KaiHO-apsa ..254 77 831 17i" (S" '222 diiloGir's' .. 74 247 821 61 IC2 213 Paiawat.. .. ( "B* 1' 89 86* 75 ..., T»1»l ...796 705 1602 "682 "«a 1076 ■'• ' ' 'iB7Br v■''''""":" "|;":- - lfunibesinAiiendanca. Avemje., yis. Fmls. Tl. Mis. Fmls. Tl. Teraru „: i •.'. ■ ISS :,,1,00, .225,; ;.,«S , 70 163 Thames.. ...K6 ICS 254 " 123: 88 2?« Eureka.. .. 16 19 35. 10 14 24 PurgaFlat .. 7 10 17 • :;8l • ;( ; 8; ;18 Walotohi .Creek 91 75 IC6 67 U 121 Karasranja .. 806 123,f/4?l 229 79 808 di.io Girls' ..55 215 270 41 168" 2C9 Parawai.. .. 45. 42 87 C 530 65 Total ..791 C"2 1483 *6C3 "fiM 'SS ■^rNZ. Free Preas.