District High Schools.

Waikato Argus, Volume XXIV, Issue 3782, 15 May 1908, Page 2

District High Schools.

INSPECTOR’S REPORT. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. The report of the Chief Inspector on the District High Schools in the Auckland Education District for the year 1907 was presented at the Board meeting as follows: “In the course of the past year, special reports on the Secondary Classes of the District High Schools were furnished to the Board, expect in the case of the Coromandel District High School, the special inspection of which had to be omitted owing to the quite unexpected demands on the Inspector’s time at the close of the year. “The number of pupils and the special staff at the time of inspection were as follows: —Aratapu, 27 pupils, 1 special teacher; Cambridge, 29 pupils, 2 special teachers; Coromandel, 33 pupils, 1 special teacher; Hamilton West, 36 pupils, 2 special teachers; Normal School, 32 pupils, 1 special teacher; Onehunga, 101 pupils, 3 special teachers; Paeroa, 31 pupils, 2 special teachers; Pukekohe West, 23 pupils, 1 special teacher; Waihi, 21 pupils, 1 special teacher; Totals, 353 pupils, t 14 special teachers.

“In general the work of these secondary classes is of quite satisfactory quality, and those at the Normal, Hamilton West, Cambridge, and I believe, Coromandel Schools, are very efficiently conducted. The classes at Waihi are weaker than those at any other of the District High Schools, but here improvement is being made. „ “As a rule, only one foreign language is taken up at these classes; but at Hamilton West and Cambridge both Latin and French are being taught. To this there is no serious objection, when the staff, as in these cases, consists of two or more teachres. It is desirable that French should be taken up at those classes rather than Latin, but there is a difficulty in getting teachers competent to teach this language, who also possess the ordinary necessary qualifications. The extraordinary favour shown to Latin at the New Zealand University Matriculation Examination tends to make students take up this language in preference to French, hence the small number of graduates who gain a familiar knowledge of the latter.

“At most of the District High Schools some of the pupils are being prepared for the University Matriculation, but at Pukekohe West and Waihi, the Civil Service Junior Examination is the aim of the moat advanced teaching. It is to be hoped that a higher standard of work will ere long be reached at both these schools.

“In connection with the teaching of science, botany, combined with experimental work in the elements of plant physiology and elementary agriculture, is more and more taking the place of elementary chemistry. Such chemical instruction as is needed to make photo-synthesis or carbon-as-similation and the root absorption of the ordinary salts contained in the water of fertile soils intelligible, is in all cases given, and suitable apparatus for this purpose is supplied on requisition. “I have had occasion to object to elementary physiology of the higher animals being taken up as a science subject, because this study does not easily lend itself to the kind of practical and experimental investigation that is desirable in schools of this type. The school gardens in which much of the observations and experimental work is carried out still leave room for considerable improvement. “The chief defects noted in connection with the secondary classes of these schools are low or inaudible answering—a fertile cause of friction and waste of time, and a want of freedom and fullness in oral answers and explanations—a defect that is much more excusable, though it should not be largely in evidence in such advanced classes.

“In general the order and discipline of these classes are good. Too many young people still make attendance at the secondary classes of the District High Schools a matter of personal convenience, and leave atdhe first opportunity for employment of one kind or another, without having pursued their secondary studies to much good purpose. But I think there is a distinct improvement in the application even of pupils who attend to fill in the interval between leaving the ordinary public school and entering on definite employment. “Requiring pupils to pass a definite examination for extending their term of free education at these secondary classes has already had a very beneficial effect. “In the course of the year all our District High Schools were inspected by one of the Department’s inspectors, with whom I have had the opportunity of conferring. The increased supervision is likely to help to forward the efficiency of the schools. “I would mention in conclusion that the remuneration of the principal special teachers of the secondary classes at these schools is still inadequate. Public money is being very freeely spent in providing free secondary education in other directions, but in this direction we are practising an unwise economy. A minimum salary of £250 is really needful, if thoroughly competent teachers are to be secured and retained.