SCHOOL INSPECTORS' CONFERENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8353, 9 February 1907, Page 6

SCHOOL INSPECTORS' CONFERENCE.

By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, February 8. The conference of school inspectors and training college principals was resumed to-day. The business was mostly taken in committee. After consideration in committee of the general committees' report it was resolved that the training college conference, to be held next week be asked 'to consider favourably giving effect to the proposals to instruct teachers by post for the department's certificate examinations; that first aid be a compulsory subject in the examinations for teachers' certificates; that the scope of examination in physiology for class D be extended so as to include elementary hygiene; thatjjit is desirable that a medical examination of school children should be carried out, but the conference was not prepared to indicate the nature or extent of such examination; r that a School Gazette should be issued by the Department; that facilities already existing for the formation of school libraries are sufficient to meet requirements; that the centralisation of schools in country districts is highly desirable, and that in a numberJof cases it could be successfully carried out if the regulations for the conveyance,of children were made more elastic, and if more liberal allowance were granted; that in general the classification of a school shall be determined at the beginning of the year, but if necessary the promotion of individual pupils from class to class may be made at any other head teacher. The conference fixed a standard for competency certificates by a clause that, generally speaking, is to satisfy the requirements for a certificate of competency, a candidate should obtain not less than 50 per cent, of the possible aggregate. The clauses as to "proficiency" certificates were altered to slightly raise the standard. It was resolved that the maximum value of a senior scholarship should be raised from £4O to £45.