1.—14 c

3

No. 718.—Petition of A. E. Boxall and 83 Others. Petitioners pray that provision may be made in the syllabus of State schools for the giving of instruction in temperance hygiene—that is to say, the nature of alcohol and its effects upon the human body — and that such instruction be made compulsory for Standards 111., IV., V., VI., and VII. The Education Committee have the honour to report upon the petition of A. E. Boxall and others that, as Education Boards have now the power to deal with the question of instruction in temperance hygiene, they have no recommendation to make. 6th October, 1904.

School-books. The Education Committee have the honour to report to your honourable House that, owing to the many subjects of importance pressing upon their attention this session, they have not had an opportunity of dealing with the question of the books in use in the schools of the State. The subject, however, is one which will receive the fullest consideration at their hands in the course of next year. 20th October, 1904.

Secondary Schools. The Education Committee, having bestowed considerable attention upon the subject of secondary schools, have the honour to report that they have arrived at certain conclusions which they now submit to your honourable House for adoption, namely : — 1. That any pupil of a school in charge of a sole teacher who has obtained a certificate of proficiency, although over the age of fourteen years, may, if he be specially recommended as worthy of exceptional consideration by such sole teacher, be admitted to a free place, subject, however, to the adoption of such recommendation by the governing body. 2. That this Committee, having carefully examined the question of free admission into the secondary schools, find that the regulations controlling the examinations for such admissions have not been generally brought into operation, and therefore they recommend that a fair trial be given to these regulations before considering the question of an alteration of age. 3. The Committee recommend that a sum be placed upon the estimates to be appropriated under section 12 of " The Secondary Schools Act, 1903," to provide for the erection, acquisition, or equipment of new buildings for secondary schools, but that great care should be exercised in disposing of the appropriation in view of the fact that it will not be easy to judge the necessity for additional accommodation until the regulations have been in force for some time. 20th October, 1904.

TEAINING COLLEGES. The Education Committee have the honour to submit the following report :— A. Control. We are unable to agree with the recommendation of the Inspector-General in memorandum of the 23rd June, 1904, to the Minister of Education, in which he suggests that control of the Training Colleges should be with the Education Department. The sub-committee, after again carefully considering the question, adhere to the report of last year —viz., that control should rest with the local Education Boards, aided by a committee of advice, as recommended in paragraph (j) of the report (see E.-le, 1904). B. Details as to Management, etc. The sub-committee are of opinion that a pupil-teacher course prior to entrance to a Training College is not satisfactory ; that our future teachers should be encouraged to continue at secondary or district high schools, to matriculate at the University, and pass through the Training College before being employed in teaching. This reform must, however, of necessity be gradual, and we therefore recommend that the proposals of the Inspector-General be adopted, with amendments as shown. 1. Entrance to Training College. It is proposed that the following shall be the conditions—students to be admitted under clause 1 or under clause 2 :— Clause I. — (a.) That the candidate shall have completed the pupil-teacher course in some education district of the colony. (&.) That he shall have passed the Matriculation Examination of the University of New Zealand. (c.) That he shall give satisfactory evidence as to health, character, and ability to teach. (d.) That he shall make a declaration of his intention to become a teacher in a public or secondary school in the colony.