ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WELLINGTON BOARD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1720, 26 June 1884, Page 2

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE WELLINGTON BOARD.

Wellington, 31st December, 1883. Sir,—The Board- of Education of tho Wellington District has the honour to submit herewith its annual report, in accordance with section 102 of the Education Act, 1877.

Board, -At the beginning of the year 1883 Ihe following gentlemen wero members of the Board: Mr, J. R, Blair (Chairman), Mr. lienry Bunny, Mr, W, C. Buchanan, M.H.R., Mr William Hutchison, M.H.R., Mr Thomas Mason, M.H.U., Mr George Beetham, M.H It., the Rev, James Patersou, Dr. Newman, and the Hon. G. R.Johnston. In accordance wilh the provision provided in section 10 of the Education Act, Messrs j J. R. Blair, George Beetham, and-Dr. New man retired. Five candidates were nominated by the School Committees; the voting resulted iu the '-re-election of tho retiring members. The Board meets on the last Wednesday of each month, with special meetings when necessary. Weekly meetings are held of one or other of the various Committees. At the regular meetings the average attendance for the year has been 7*6. Leave of absence was granted to Mr George Beetham Li August, and to the Hon. G. R. Johnson in Ootober, those gentlemen being about to visit Europo. Stapf,—No increase has taken place

I during the year in the office stall, ivluc consists of a Secretary and Inspector, 1 whom tho business of the Board isbol economically and efficiently conducted. Sohools.-Tlici number of schools open i tho .beginning of tho year was fifty • to thi number three wmo completed and adde during the year. The ,„ew schools opene bm'Mi Seek ' el t o ra, and a rente ' ltn ll? m u ' tena y P' ace > New building ha o been ereotod at Parkvalo, Kaitoke Petono Waihakoltc, Yogeltown, Kilbumit hnTs'ir Y W r - sid ? aoe at • Pa,lM mwV i.u/T accommodation: lias bee; rmlif f Fernridge', Hutt, am Ju lgeford, Some eight or nino : sohools fo Hw Pnn 'r f ur r ° utr S ent 'y "quired-.--Hoi the Board is t:> mcet.the difflcaltr with it 3 f f a question which, with th Tho ri f er t ß ' ffiJl liave to be faced ? remedies so fj.r suggested arc of i restrictod character, either limiting tho agi or standards, neither of which would affec the caso of, districts in which no schoo hlw th« r i P T ; • Norcan the Boardse ' is going to lighten th, burden oi education, if tho burden is to bi w districts would fan under such a system is only too clear. A diLnsfT- •' me tbero is c °nsiderabl( m country districts at tlis suddlurJ y H providefor the bolt3t support of the country schools. J",/ 87 , 8 aD 0? school was built at Opaki ■ tif wt nCCS at TaWa Flat - Glm ' le, and Waihenga; repairs and enlarge Mount Cook Girls, and Masterton sohools additional site? were purchased in Sydney fisssttraste additi ?Vwere made down) and Willis Street. Te Aro; add™ an? X ?r v Scho ° lß wero bui " afc Karori and Widestown, now residence at-I{arori' add. lo ,,swertm:uletoC a rte r ton,a ; reytown TerlSl 1 ° M,VS ™ k ''"'«" i gff* and ' teacher's. .residence at .la 1883 schools to built at Parkvale, Kaitoke, Potone. Waikaheke, Yogoltown, Kilburnie and Wangachu. A'newresidenco was _ built at' Pahautnaui. A site was acquired at KUurnie. A site and. buildi DK was purchased at Cross' Creek, and a site at Johnsonvillo, Additions havo been mado to Lornrtdge, Hutt, aiid 1 Judgeford schools. The roiidencea at. Featherston, Claraville and the Upper Hutt have teen added to. Improvements have beijn ejected at Carterton, (J ivy town, -Peatheratonand tho saiutary arrangements of the Thorndon, lorrace n\ilhs Street, and Mount Cook Boys, Girls, and Infants' Schools have been p,aced on the most approved basis, . Residence*. Thirty-one of tho Boafl bcnools have residences, and 25 sclu hive none, Of these 25 schools, 12 at lea'sV urgently require to be provided with residences before adequate. results for the expenditure can be hoped for. Their want is the cause of an alnwst incessant change, Teachers. -There were in tho Board's services at tho end of the year 38 male head tcacherr. 15 female head teichers, 18 assistant male tcaehsM, 29 female assistant teachers, 8 male pupil teachers, and 63 female pupil teachers. In tho accompanying return tho status, school where emp oyed, and salaries of all tho teacher; in the Board s employment are fully set forth. AriENDANOE,—TIio attendance centimes to steadily increase, At the beginning of year the number on the lolls was 5767 at the end of tho year, 6540. The annua, attendance at the beginning of the year was 5232, and at tho ead of the year, 5344. Tho regularity of attendance though still iiot quito satisfactory shows an advance on the previous years, and there is reason for hoping tliat the educational value ,of continuous attendance is being gradually be Iter appreciated by parents. JlEsor.TS.-Tho Board is satisfied, on the whole, uhat.eoiind nnd'great results'are in process of realization, Much o'f the criti'slsm to which the system is subjected is quite independent of facts; small allowance is made for the comparatively short D eriod tho system has been in operation, and less for the influence which the large influx of comparatively ill taught children introduced by the Public Works policy has had on the results produced by our school system. It is significant that the percentage of adults who can read is hielier in New Zealand than many other of tho colonies, and. the saino may bo said of the children of school ago. Scholarships —A competitive cxamina* turn for 4 scholarships-tenable for two years-was held on the same days in tho Normal Sceool, Wellington, and the Greytown Public School, Fifty candidates had submitted their names, and 40 sat for the examination. The papers were set and tho examination was conducted by the Rev W jjf" LL,D " and A ' McGregor) \m,, M. Aj ho scho'arahips were won by !Tp M .P° \ f3 ° ! ! ' :dward Bcagtel^le; la!mor > Robert Drumw"i?' D i' FMnoi3 Bl £2Ol Walter Bethune, £2O; Fred. Evans £oq ■ Annio RamvoH, £2O; l'erry Gardner, £2o.' lor fuller-information see Examiners' report i appended. • I Commit iees, The Board takes this opportunity oi recording its appreciation of tho value of tho services,rendered to' the cause of education by the various School Committees. To their interest and zeal for tho welfare of their respective schools the improved attendance and tone aro largely duo. The Committee of tho Mount Cook schoo s, in conjunction with a Committee of the Board, has established anight school for boya over school age; tho attendance anting the winter averaged about a hun- , ■. Tho school was well equipped with teachers. A course of science lectures was delivered by Dr Hutchinson (gratuitously), and, so far as could bo judged without inspection, good work was done. Tho feo for tho winter term was 2s fid," . Tlle conversion of tho Masterton School into a district high school will, it is anticipated, prove a great boon to tho Wairarapa Tho necessity for an institution where the higher branches of education are taught, and wlioro inducement can bo hold out for pupils to continue their education beyond the limits of tho standards, and at the samo time at a reasonable cost, has deterred many promising candidates from competing for tho scholarships''offered by" the Board, tho expenses of a course of study at tho Weilmgton College or Girls' High School being far m excess of the prizes off-, red. The Board anticipate great success to attend this step, and feel sanguine that the additional expense will bo covered by the fees from pupils to a very largo extent, if not entirely.

Norsiai Sohooi,, - Tho report of tlio Irmcipal of tho school, forwarded herewith, deals fully with tho progress of tho inslitudunn R tl>o past year. : An incrcaso of one student cannot be considered very oncouraging, and tlio result of largo expenditure cannot be deemed satisfactory. Lhe question of tho reorganisation of tho Wormal School with a view to placin® tlio tvnolo institution, traiuiiig and practicing Under tho reaponsibilifcy of one porson, has been before the Hoard 011 several occasions but the limited funds at its disposal has deterred any positive action from being taken, However, the Board hopes that during tho next year it will be able to bring about such a change that will ensure a mora steady and regular incrcaso of student for training. The Board is well satisfied with the perseverance and energy displayed by the Normal master and his assistants, and recognises that they have one and all worked conscientiously duriug the year. School Inspecton-Tlic report of Mr Lee on tho work of the schools examined during the year, forwarded herewith, Bhows that with very fow exceptions, steady nro. gress is being made, and the teaching of tha stall continues good, Rktdbns,—The various returns required for the purposes of the annual report of tho department for the present year, asset forth m Circular No, 83/8, are herewith attached. I have, &c. mi rr ,1 & Buiß. Chairman. Tlio Hon tlio Minister for Education!