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NORTH CANTERBURY. Extract from the Report of the Education Board. Manual and Technical Instruction. —As will be seen from the report of its Director, great activity has continued to be displayed by the Board of Managers of the Christchurch Technical College, a large number of classes, covering a wide range of subjects, having been held. At the Ashburton centre, too, considerable developments have taken place under the local management. At Akaroa, where a new building has been erected and equipped with the necessary furniture and appliances, progress commensurate with the expenditure incurred will no doubt be made, the same remark applying to Rangiora, where a new building in brick is now in course of erection. At the remaining centres special classes have been carried on in the subjects finding most favour, such as cookery, dressmaking, and woodwork. During the year the Amberley centre was reopened, and is now in active operation. From Mr. Howell's report on the Board's school classes it will be seen that the total average attendance for both boys and girls for the year 1908 was 1,268. as against 1,203 in the previous year, and that the financial statement indicates a satisfactory balance on the year's working. In addition to cookery the girls will now receive instruction in laundry-work, a subject of no little importance to those who later on in life will probably be engaged in domestic duties. The Board feels that its Director is to be congratulated on the good results secured, to which the loyal support given by headmasters has contributed in no small degree. In sixty of the Board's schools recognised handwork classes, consisting mainly of brush drawing and modelling (both plasticine and carton) have been carried on. The continuity of the Board's work in agriculture and nature-study has been somewhat broken by the retirement of the Instructor, Mr. G. Rennie. whose resignation took effect at the end of August, 1908. The Board has placed on record its-appreciation of the valuable services rendered by Mr. Rennie in doing pioneer work in connection with the school-garden movement and the teaching of elementary agriculture. The Board has been able to secure the part-time services of Mr. E. Wilkinson as supervisor of school gardens, so that in this branch of the work further progress has been made-. During the year negotiations were opened up with the Board of Managers of the Christchurch Technical < lasses, with the view of the joint appointment of an instructor having the necessary scientific attainment and an intimate knowledge of practical agriculture. There were, however, difficulties in the way which led to a temporary postponement of the matter. Extract from the Report of the Inspectors of Schools. In the larger centres throughout the district provision for manual and technical training through the medium of instruction in woodwork for boys of Standards V and VI, and in cooking and laundrywork for girls at the same stages, yields further evidence of new influences at work in the field of education, and of a genuine desire to promote individual welfare while paying due regard to the wider interests of the State. The establishment of school gardens as a development ancillary to nature-study has enlisted the sympathy and support of citizens truly disinterested in their regard for the public- weal, and practical in their efforts for its promotion. For what has been accomplished in this direction we desire officially to express warm appreciation, and personally to tender sincere thanks. Extract from the Report of the Director of Manual Training. This has been the first year in which it has been possible to carry out in its entirety the scheme for the extension of manual training that was formulated by the Inspectors, and the Board is therefore in a better position to judge of both its educational and financial prospects. Its success on the one hand is shown by the favourable report of the Inspector on the work, and by the exhibits which the pupils were able to make at the close of the year, whilst on the other the financial statement, already presented to the Board, indicates a satisfactory balance on the year's working, although the attendances, and consequently the capitation rcce-ipts. have been less than were anticipated. Miss Evans and Mr. Wentzel, the instructors obtained at Home through Dr. Garnett, were unable to reach Christchurch in time to commence their classes with the school year, but entered upon their duties on the 24th February. Classes were also formed for teachers in woodwork and cookery, and for students from the Training College in cookery only. The numbers in attendance during the year were as follows ; Cookery—Teachers' class 39, students' class 32 ; woodwork—Teachers' class 15. In addition to the above, twelve teachers attended a class in needlework held at the Technical College on Friday evenings. Twenty-one primary-school classes for cookery and twenty for woodwork were conducted at the manualtraining centres. The total average attendance for both boys and girls for 1907 amounted to 1,203, whilst for 1908 it .was 1,268. lam pleased to be able to report that, as far as the city schools are concerned, the attendances have been in general very good, and I should like to express my appreciation of the loyal support given to the work by the headmasters, to which this result is mainly due. Compared with last year the attendance for both boys and girls has increased, the improvement being more marked in the case of the girls. The new cookery centre which has been erected at the Normal School was not ready until the end of November, and consequently the previous arrangements had to he continued throughout the year. The difficulties and inconveniences were accentuated by tin- growth of the Technical College, and the work of the latter was to some extent retarded by the lack of adequate accommodation. As regards the cookery classes, there should be considerable improvement this year, but it is very desirable that another woodwork centre should be provided either in the south or east. not merely to provide more accommodation, but also to diminish the size of the classes. When a centre is provided in connection with or near to a large school it is unnecessary that the pupils should

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