The Gisborne Standard AND COOK COUNTY GAZETTE. Published Every Tuesday, Thursday, AND Saturday Morning. Saturday, April 12, 1890. OUR SCHOOLS.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 440, 12 April 1890, Page 2

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

Saturday, April 12, 1890. OUR SCHOOLS.

Be just and fear not; Let all the ends thou aim’st at bs thy country’!, Thy God’s, and truth’s.

The annual report of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board affords some interesting information to those who concern themselves in the work of our schools, a work in which every person ought certainly to feel interested. All through the report the eye is met with the significant explanation, “ want of funds,” but notwithstanding all the inconveniences, the record of work done is such that we may well feel satisfied with it. The Gisborne School, of course, stands out prominently. Though the Inspector makes theassurance that the country schools have now become formidable competitors to the Gisborne and Napier schools, we find pn examining the report further that the Gisborne School carried off eleven out of eighteen scholarships available. There is even then good reason to complain that Poverty Bay is unfairly handicapped. Through the efficiency of its staff the Gisborne School is enabled to secure th e lion’s share of the prizes, but by a special arrangement which savors much of the petty jealousy of other days, when Provincialism was allowed to dominate in its worst form, the Poverty Bay portipn of the education district is denied the right to compete for certain prizes, which can be withheld on no reasonable ground. These are what are called the School Commissioners’ Scholarships, and only those scholars resident in what is known as the Hawke’s Bay Province are allowed to compete for them. As it is the country schools labor under great disadvantages, and it is impossible to help sympathising with the correspondent who, in our last issue, so pertinently pointed out these disadvantages. It is more than can be expected that the master of a country school can have things organised in a manner so trim as where there is a good staff to attend to what may be called the details. In the country, too, there is great trouble in ensuring the regular attendance oU:hildren, and thus the whole school is kept back, the masters having to struggle hopelessly on against great disadvantages. In all fairness some special privilege might be granted to country schools in the matter of scholarships. What form that privilege should take can best be decided by those who have all the information at hand—once the principle is approved an adjustment could easily be made. In regard to the special scholarships a strong attempt should be made to batter down the absurd remnant of Provincialism'which is allowed to be a reminder to us of the worst features of that system. We remember hearing Mr Arthur talking a good deal about this unfairness, but he seemed to think that the unfairness arose through fear on the part of the Hawke’s Bay people, and failed to recognise that it was the result of a rotten principle, wh'ch we can hardly think the Hawke’s Bay people would wish to bolster up if they were properly approached in the matter, and the unfairness of the thing pointed out to them. So far we have not heard that Mr Arthur has taken any further move in the matter, but the opportunity to do so is one that we imagine he will hardly miss, his own feelings being so strong on the subject. In regard to the school work Mr Hill’s remarks are instructive. The Gisborne School takes the credit of having the best average attendance. Mr Hill notices the action taken by the Ormond School Committee to induce negligent parents to be more reasonable. But though the school has suffered from irregularity the management is highly spoken of and under. the heading of Order and Discipline there is the mark “ excellent.” The school has the high percentage of 76.25 on class subjects, being the best record next to that of Gisborne, which ranks highest with 95. Mr Hill observes that the general school attendance is improving, and that parents take a much livelier interest in the education of their children than they seemed to do a few months ago. All the other schools in this district make a favorable record, with the exception of Waerenga-a-kuri, where local jealousies were interfering with the school work at the time the report was drawn up.