THE LATE SCHOLARSHIPS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2912, 14 March 1891, Page 3

THE LATE SCHOLARSHIPS.

The following letter has been forwarded to the Minister of Education by the Tniuahero School Committee, re the iate scholarship controversy : — Sir,—l mn directed by the committee of UioTamnhere school district to brin« under your notice certain matters in connection with the assignment of scholarships by the Auckland Board of Education and appeal to you on behalf of Maud Marion Crawford, a child who nttended the Tamahere school up to Christmas last, and now receiving freo tuition at the Auckland College and Grammar school by favour of the governors thereof. In August 1SS!) the Minister of Kducation approved of certain alterations iu " The Regulation for the establishment of Kcholarships " (copy enclosed). Among the alterations made was ono dividing the junior scholarship* into four (4) classes, A.B.C.D. respectively. The special regulntiun for class D reads as follows : " One tenth of the number in each year shall bo awarded to pupils of any public primary school within the Auckland Education District, having an average attendance less than 100 for the quarter next preceding the date of examination." By the " Regulations of the Auckland liducation Board'' (copy enclosed) tho staff of assistant and pupil teachers for schools under 100 is regulated to the following scale Average under 40 ... 1 sewing teacher Average 40 to 65 ... 1 pupil teacher Average Go to 100 ... 2 pupil teachers The committee therefore considers that no school has any right to compete under class D, vhich has a staff in excess of the maximum, viz., 2 pupil teachers and cannot but think that the Minister when approving of the division of the scholarships into classes was guided in his actions solely by tlie extent of the teaching staffs, and not by the actual number of children attending the schools. Up to the time of these alterations the scholarships had been monopolised by the schools with large staffs, they beiug enabled to so manipulate their stuffs as thereby to make special provision for scholarship instruction, an arrangement impossible to make iu small schools. The Auckland Board, however, by a special provision, and in direct violation of its own " Regulations," handicapped!'' the scholarship examination heid in December last, all the schools, with ar. average under UMj, and staffed in accordance with their '' Regulations" by ccitain Auckland "".b----burbr.n schools, w'.h s'.affs iargMy in f»c» -< of their requirements, thereby enabling tlie candidates for sfho!ar-hips attending those schools to be so stutfed and crammed with the requirements of the sch"lar-hip syllabus, that tboy weie to secure

xchnhrHliips. Tho xch».>ls in tho Auckland district, with an uveraeu nttowhncß undor 100, nunib"r 21") "lit "f I,■ t-tal Of «n< thev ..rn :.ttend-»rt by U.H2O ".. of n tntnl of 17708. cmverjrcntly if tlm action of t h.» Board in malting social provMen for certain Ancldand suburban hcliools is ri K l)t, then M I'fr cent of the schools, and uS ~er cent of tlio children in the Auckland dntrict, to wliora but a tunth of the tot.il >r.||,i|.irships ari) nominally allotted, are thereby so' hcavilv hmulicapped that it is „m>li"<* for tlium to compete, thoiiKli thoy an: nearlv all country children to whoi.i a scholarship wouW bo a boon. Ono of the sprcal schools complained of .is the. Kpsom District school, with an averape under 00 (70 by tho last. Minister's report), which has enjoyed a staff us follows Igg;} 1 pupil and 1 assistant teaclior (Minister's report). 188!)—'-' -i-sistant touchers (Minister s report.) 18'K)—2 teachers. Pv 'No "il of the Regulations an assistant' is equal to two or pupil teachers therefore bpsom school at tho lowest computation had n staff last year equal to four pupil teachers when it was entitled to two, and it is on these grounds that my Committee has claimed a class 1) scholarship for a child attendi.,!; the Tamahere school who Btood first 111 the list of Micce:-ful caiulidates from schools with an av,;ratre attendance under 100 and si . fed aco.rd.np to tlv Hoard's regulations, ihe same ar«un,ent. equally applies to Mam.-rre .school, a child from which was assigned a scholars!,.,, under cl'i« D. Tama here school is taucrht by a single teacher, and had an average of •10 dni ine ISIIO. I enclose Hie list of the successful candidates for scholarships, a so mv Committee's claim for a scholarship for Maud Mari m Crawford, and a communication fm.u the. Hoard declminsr to consider the same 1 am requested by the coinmittue to respectfully ask you to interfere in the matter, or if you have no control over lhe Hoard to express your opinion as to the claim that the committee has made for a class I) scholarship on behalf of Maud Marion Crawford. I have the honour to he Kir. your obedient servant, Aston T. F. \Vhfkleu. Chairman District School Com-mitted-—The Hon. the Minister of Kduca-