57

B.—l

REPORTS OF EDUCATION BOARDS.

[Note. —Details are in some oases omitted. Tables are not all reprinted, the substance of most of them being embodied in the tables in or attached to the report of the Minister.]

AUCKLAND Auckland, March, 1892. In accordance with section 102 of " The Education Act, 1877," the Board presents the following report of its proceedings during the year 1891: — Board.—At the beginning of the year the Board consisted of the following members Messrs. James William Carr Theophilus Cooper, David Goldie, James Marshall Lennox, Samuel Luke, William Pollock Moat, Richard Monk, John Henry Upton, and Richard Udy (Chairman) Mr Goldie resigned in February, and Messrs. Carr, Monk, and Upton retired in March, 1891. Their places were filled by Messrs. William Blythe Buckhurst, Alexander Grant, M.A., William Motion, and James Muir The members who retire in March, 1892, are Messrs. Buckhurst, Lennox, and Luke. Messrs. Buckhurst and Luke have been re-elected. Mr John Liddell Kelly has been elected to the seat vacated by Mr Lennox, who did not seek re-election. Mr Udy was re-elected Chairman in April, 1891. Thirty-three meetings of the Board have been held during the year, with an average attendance of seven members. Since July the Board has met fortnightly instead of weekly, and the hour has been altered from 2 p.m. to 10.30 a.m. An executive committee, consisting of all the members of the Board, meets on every alternate Friday Public Schools. —There were 276 schools in operation at the end of the year The number of half-time schools has been reduced from forty to twenty New schools have been opened at Cabbage Bay, Dacre's Claim, Hukanui, Karaka No. 2, Kuaotuna, Mayfield, Onewhero, Tokatoka No. 2, Waiwera Springs, Weymouth, and Whahgae. The schools previously closed at Mangapiko and Marmkau Heads have been reopened. The schools at Bridgewater Harapepe, and Whatipu have been closed owing to the removal of population. The Board makes it a rule to supply school furniture and to appoint a teacher wherever an attendance of at least ten scholars can be maintained. For places where even this number is not attainable, the Board has under consideration the question of employing itinerant teachers for teaching from house to house. Teachers. —The number of teachers has increased from; 647 to 667, classified as follows :— Male. Female. Total. In charge of schools , 176 90 266 Assisted teachers 26 132 158 Pupil-teachers 43 152 195 Sewing-teachers .. 48 48 Totals 245 422 667 The surplus of assistant teachers has been reduced during the year from seventy to ten , and the staff may now be said to correspond with scale requirements. A considerable advance has been made in the classification of teachers and assistants. All except ten are now fully certificated. In the course of the year seventy-nine teachers of all grades have left, and 106 have entered or rejoined the service. Of the seventy-nine teachers who left the service during 1891, twenty-one were teachers in charge of schools, twenty-nine were assistant-teachers, and thirty-one were pupilteachers. Of the 106 who entered or rejoined the service, ninety-one entered as pupil-teachers, and fifteen above that rank. Pupil-teachers.—The annual examination of pupil-teachers, and candidates for employment, was held in June, 1891, and resulted as follows :—

All the candidates who qualified received employment, and the Board was obliged to employ some candidates who, although otherwise suitable for employment, had not passed the entrance examination. Provision has been made for the admission of candidates who have passed the B—E 1

Class. ixami: ed. Passi >d. Fail id. Candidates for employment Pupil-teachers, first year Pupil-teachers, second year M. 38 15 7 F 122 53 23 Total. 160 68 30 M. F 18 59 11 43 6 19 Total. 77 54 25 M. 20 4 1 F 63 10 4 Total. 83 14 5 Totals 60 198 258 35 : 121 156 25 77 102