The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, AND Saturday Morning. Tuesday, April 9, 1889.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 284, 9 April 1889, Page 2

The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE Published every Tuesday, Thursday, AND Saturday Morning.

Tuesday, April 9, 1889.

Be jnat and fear not} Let all the ends thou alm'st at be thy country's, Thy God’s, and truth’s.

A NEW EDUCATION BILL. The Education Act which has been drafted by the Hon. Mr Fisher, the Minister for Education, requires to be very carefully considered. The dissensions in the Cabinet may result in the Bill not being brought forward as a Government measure, but it is well that readers should be made acquainted with its provisions. To a Wellington contemporary we are indebted for the subjoined outline of the proposals embodied in the Bill:—•

Clauses 1 and 2 provide for the appoint ment of a Minister of Education and th necessary departmental officers. Clause places the appointment of all inspectors ii the hands of the Governor, and imposes upoi the Minister the duty of dividing the colon; into inspeotoral districts, and assigning thes to inspectors from time to time. Parliamen is to provide funds for carrying out the pui poses of the Act. By clause 9 the colony i to be divided into school districts as follows —Every borough, together with any adjoinin area included in any electoral district in whicl the borough or any part of it is situated, is ti be a school district, and every electoral dis triot which does not include a borough or an; part of a borough is also to occupy that posi tion. Each school district is to have a Sohoc Board, the number of members of which is t be regulated by the number of schools in th district, It there is only one school, th number is to be seven members j if tw schools, four members tor each school | i three, three members for each ; and it mor than three schools, then two members for each The members are to be elected annually b the parents of theobildren attending the school each parent having a vote for as many candi dates as there are members to be elected, bu cumulative voting is forbidden. Voting may b by show of hands or ballot, and in certain case proxies are allowed. Females are to b eligible for election, but the word parent i interpreted as meaning the head of the house hold only, Very elaborate provisions ar made regarding the elections, supply of vaean ales, and proceedings ol the School Board: Everv School Board is to be a body carnorat with a common seal and may hold land, Al schoolhouses and residences now vested in an Education Board are to become vested in th School Board of the district, and so are al sites hereafter acquired or set apart for th purposes of any sonoo’, Any reserves held a school sites, but not used, are to be vested ii the School Commissioners under the Eduoa tion Reserves Act. All other property owne by Education Boards on their abolition is t revert to Her Majesty, to be used for the pur poses oi the Act as the Minister may direct The salary of secretaries of Education Board are to be continued tor three months in oonsi deration of their continuing for that period t perform certain duties. A School Board is t have the general management of the school within its district, and under certain rules tray appoint and dismiss teachers, subject ti approval by the Minister, Teachers are ti continue to hold their present appointment without re appointment. Teachers are not ti resign without one month’s notice, or be dis missed without three months’ notice unless in i Case of gross misconduct. Salaries on a seal laid down, are to be paid monthly direct fron the Treasury. No present salaries are t. be reduced for three months after the Ac comes into force. All schools are to b classified according to the number of pupil attending them. The classification is to bi reviewed at the end of three years, and there after at the beginning of every alternate year the classification depending on the meal attendance for the eight quarters preceding The number of teachers is to depend on iti class. The separation of boys and girls o: Ser children is not to prevent the whob being considered as one. The Sohoo Board is to keep all buildings in repair, anc to recommend to the Minister all necessarj repairs and extensions, or the supply o apparatus, beyond its own means. Th. ordinary supply of school requisites, eani tary arrangements, and cleaning is to bi attended to by the School Board. Th< revenue of the School Board is to consist of a capitation grant of as for every unit of the average attendance for the quartet ending 31st March in each year. None ol thia money must be spent on prizes rewards, or entertainments. The School Board is to have power to order that on one or two days in each week the regular school work shall be closed half an hour earlier

than the ordinary time of closing “ in order that religious instruction may be given to the children by such person or persons as shall have obtained from the Board permission to give such instruction.” The school is to be dismissed at the close of the regular work, notice being given that pupils may remain for religious instruction, if their parents do not object. Under certain conditions the School Board may grant the nse of school buildings for meetings and other purposes ; school libraries may be established, and the Board may bring into operation clauses as to compulsory attendance. Any school not at present a public school may become one by arrangement sanctioned by the Governor. Free education is to be limited to children between the ages of five and fifteen years, who have not passed the sixth standard. Fees of 2s and 6d per week, or £1 per quarter, are to be charged for children remaining at sohool over fifteen, or after passing the sixth standard. Fees are also to be charged to auohchildren, upto the age of seventeen, for extra subjects, the teaching of which may be authorised, and those subjects may include English, Latin, Greek, French, German, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, mechanics, physics, chemistry, the natural sciences, agricultural knowledge, book keeping, navigation, shorthand, and other subjects. For instruction in such subjects teachers are to receive fifteen.sixteenths of the tees, which are not for any one subject to exceed Is per week, or 10s a quarter. The ordinary course of instruction in the school is not to be interfered with by these extra subjects, The ordinary course is to include reading, writing, English grammar and composition and spelling, geography, English history, drawing ; elementary knowledge of physical and natural science, including laws of health, domestic economy, and agricultural knowledge; object-lessons, and sing, ing, and, in the case of girls, needlework. No child shall be compelled to receive instruction in history if his paren's object to hie being instruoted therein. In addition to recognised holidays, the Sohool Board may give as holidays not less than six or more than ten

weeks in a year. Boys may be taught drill, and the Board may require gymnastics and Other physical exercises to be tauvht. Evening schools may be established for children over 18 years of age. Full provision for enforcing COfnpulsory attendance is made. Subject to appropriation by the General Assembly, scholarships may be awarded by the Minister annually to not less than 200 pupils. These scholarships are to ba of the value of £lO, are to be tenable for three years, and they are to be divided amongst the several Inspectoral districts, and are to be awarded by competition. Twelve exhibitions of not leas than £4O a year may also be awarded annually to persons who have held scholarships for three years. These exhibitions are to be tenable for four years, and are for attendance at a University course. In certain circumstances they may be extended to five years, Native schools may be established, and also Normal schools, for the training of teachers. Schools for deaf mutes, fqr the blind, and giving Instruction in manual work, drawing, or any subject sudsidiary to the practical arta may abo be established under the Boards or otherwise, or the Minister may pay special tsaohers to give instruction in such subjects at any public sohool. Every proprietor or headimaater of any private school in the colony Is required, under pmalty, to send In an annual return of the pupils of such school, giving all part'culars regarding them. The managers or teftohai’a of any private | school .may request to hive L ihspcuted by

the Government Inspector, and all schools maintained or partly so from endowments made at any time by the Government are rendered subject to inspection. Each School Board is to report annually to the Minister, and the Minister to the Governor. The classification of schools on attendance is to be First, above 700 ; second, 401 to 700 ; third, 251 to 400 ; fourth, 151 to 250 ; fifth, 30 to 150 : sixth, below 35 or two half-time schools. The salaries of head-masters are to range from £l2O to £460, according to class, and of head-mistresses from £l2O to £320. Second masters are to get two-thirds the salary of the head master. The salaries of junior assistants are to range from £6O up to £lOO a year, and the salaries of pupil teachers from £2O to £OO for boys, and from £l6 to £4B for girls.