EDUCATION BOARD.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2397, 12 January 1909, Page 5

EDUCATION BOARD.

THE FREE SCHOOL BOOK QUESTION.

[Special to “Times.”]

NAPIER, Jmi. 11

The Hawke’s Bay Education Board met to-day. Present: -Sir Win. Pussell (Chairman), Messrs C. Al. Whittington, and G. Darton, Pastor Pies, and the Itev. A. Grant. Leave of absence was granted to Messrs McLernon, Tanner, and Mor--01 iiTlit Inspector was instructed to report further on the -question of alteration to the Makaraka School, and also on the available cubic space for classes at the Waerenga-ci-hika (School. Permission was given for children belonging to the -latter school to attend technical -classes at the -school for the Standard VI. certificate.

The Inspector’s report on free scliool books was considered. The Chairman said he supposed the Bourd were in the position that they must accede to the Department's instruction. For liis own part, he disapproved of the whole system of free school hooks, but he did not know what else could ho done if people insisted on the Government supplying hooks free. Personally he thought it was an encouragement to waste and to carelessness on the part of parents.

Air. Darton -said the Government were only dodging the question of uniform school books.

The Rev. A. Grant opposed the Inspector’s recommendation that free books should be for school use only. He urged that children should be permitted to take the books home. There must be home assistance to children unless their preparatory classes were to be in a worse condition than they were at present. The report was adopted, with an (addition that negotiations should he entered into with, local booksellers to purchase wholesale such hooks as they might at present have on hand, and which might be selected for use in schools. • *

The Rev. A. ‘ Grant put on record his protest againt the recommendation that free books he kept- in schools solely for school use.. The Rev. A. Grant said that in Hawke’s Ray the proportion of children in the preparatory classes and also in the lower'standards was larger, than was the case for the rest of the Dominion. In proof of thfis-ho referred to table D.l. on page 'VIII. and table number 3 on page 3 of the Education Department’s report of 1907. The same tables showed that for the upper standards the proportion tor Hawke’s Bay was smaller than for the rest of the Dominion. Those figures forced him to the conclusion tliat primary education in Hawke’s Ray was not up to the average. Table D 3, page IX., showed that in Hawke’s Bay the average age of pupils in Standard I. was 9 years 7 month's. Under no other Education Board in tlio Dominion was tlic average for Standard I. so high. Table 2, page 2, showed that at 12 years of age 16-1 pupils in Hawke’s Bay left school. Considering both these- tilings, namely, the average age for Standard I. and the early age at' which so many pupils left school, what could be the extent of the education that the generality of children received at the primary schools. The Chairman said that Mr. Grant was scarcely in order in making a speech on that subject now. The matter could come up -at the next meeting. It was -decided that the Chairman and the Inspectors have authority to allot Board scholarships in- accordance with the regulations and to send out names of pupil teachers to school committees for choice of appointments to he made -at tlio next- meeting of the Board.