E.—lc.

Among these the foremost, and one fraught with great and important results for the further successful working of our educational system, is the question of the new syllabus, which I feel certain will receive that earnest and serious consideration at your hands that so important a subject merits. It is not going too far to say that the new regulations will constitute an epoch in the development of our educational progress. As you are no doubt aware, it is the intention of the Government, after the new regulations have been reviewed by your Conference, to submit them again to a joint Conference comprised of representatives of Inspectors of Schools and of representatives of the teachers of the public schools of the colony. The Government hopes that the result of this joint Conference will be the issuing of a sound and rational syllabus that will redound to the credit of the colony and of those connected with its educational development. Other matters that may commend themselves to your attention are those connected with manual and technical education, secondary schools, and the National Scholarships, to all of which the Government have ever endeavoured to give their earnest and favourable consideration. I may again express my regret that circumstances prevent my being able to be present in person at the opening of your Conference; but as head of the Government and as Minister of Education I may take this opportunity of assuring you of the deep interest I am taking in your deliberations, the outcome of which, I feel sure, will tend to benefit the rising generation, and be of great and material assistance in advancing the educational well-being of the Colony of New Zealand. " E. J. Sbddon." Peculations for Inspection and Examination of Schools. The Conference then proceeded, in committee, to consider clauses 1 to 27, inclusive, and clauses 60 and 61, of the regulations for inspection and examination of schools. " 1. Every public school shall, as a general rule, be visited at least twice in every year by a Public-School Inspector. One visit, called hereinafter the ' annual visit,' shall take place as nearly as possible in the same month in every year, at least ten days' notice of the date being given to the head teacher by the Inspector. The date of the annual visit of the Inspector to a school shall also be notified, not more than twenty-eight days and not less than seven days before such annual visit, by at least one advertisement in a newspaper circulating in the district, and in such other manner as may be convenient. As soon as possible after the annual visit to any school the Inspector shall present his ' annual report' on that school. No notice shall be required for any other visit than the annual visit. After one of his visits in each year the Inspector shall present an ' inspection report.' The inspection report may, if the Inspector sees fit, be presented at the same time as the annual report. A special report may be presented after any visit. In these regulations a ' year' means a year beginning with the Ist January." Mr. Richardson moved, " That the words ' by at least one advertisement in a newspaper circulating in the district ' be omitted from Regulation 1." Mr. Braik moved, and Mr. Strachan seconded, as an amendment, to insert the words "to a locality " instead of " to a school," and " circulating therein " instead of " circulating in the district." Amendment negatived, and motion agreed to, and regulation as amended agreed to. "2. For purposes of instruction, the pupils of every public school shall be divided into classes for the several subjects according to the standards defined by the syllabus of subjects, as follows : With regard to any subject, Class I. shall include all the children doing the work prescribed for Standard I. in that subject, and may be called SI : for instance, SI English will include all the children doing the work in English prescribed for Standard I. ; SI arithmetic, those doing the arithmetic of Standard I. ; and so on for the other subjects. Glass 11. shall include all the children doing the work prescribed for Standard 11., and may be called S2 ; and so on to Class VII. The preparatory class shall include all pupils below Class 1., and may be called Class P. Class P may be divided, the lower part being called PI, and the next P2; if necessary, these classes may be subdivided, as, for instance, into PI lower, PI upper, P2 lower, P2 upper." Agreed to. " 3. The classification of a school shall be made by the head teacher, who shall have full discretion to arrange his pupils in different classes for different subjects according to their ability and proficiency with respect to the several subjects, and to group two or more classes for instruction in one subject. This discretion he must exercise to the satisfaction of the Inspector, who will regard as an element of weakness any undue complexity in the classification of pupils. As a general rule, pupils should be classified according to their capacity and attainment in English and arithmetic respectively, classification in English being determined by proficiency in English, and classification in arithmetic by proficiency in arithmetic." Agreed to. " 4. Promotion of pupils from class to class may be made at any time by the head teacher, provided that, as a general rule, in Standards 111., IV., and V. promotion shall not be granted in English unless the pupil satisfies the requirements of the standard in three at least of the four subjects included under that head, two of which shall be reading and composition ; and that, also, as a general rule, in Standards 1.-V., the classification for English and arithmetic shall not in the case of any pupil differ by more than one standard." Mr. Strachan moved, and Mr. Spencer seconded, "That the words 'included under that head' be deleted, and the words ' reading, spelling, writing and composition' be substituted." Motion agreed to, and regulation as amended agreed to. It was resolved that a committee of seven —viz., Messrs. Petrie, Goyen, Fleming, Morton, Hill, Spencer, and Dr. Anderson—be appointed to consider Regulation 5, dealing with the nature of the records to be furnished by the head teacher on the work of the school, in order that the Inspector may have adequate material on which to base his judgment. Regulation 6, dealing with class lists, was also referred to the special committee.

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