E.—l
54
The medical inspection of schools has revealed the presence of very mans partially deaf children in the public schools, and a number of such cases have beey brought directly under the notice of the Director. In a number of these it han been necessary to point out to the teachers the absolute necessity of placing these children in the centre of the front row of the classes to which they may belong, in order that they may be in the most favourable position for hearing the teacher and the other pupils. A child may hear quite well when seated in the front row of the class and miss nearly everything when seated farther back. Similarly a child who is deaf in one ear should be made to sit on the appropriate side of the class-room. The importance of thus making provision for partially deaf children should be impressed upon all teachers. In some cases such children have been found occupying seats in the back rows of the class-room, where their disabilities are immeasurably increased. For those deaf children who cannot, even when favourably placed in the classroom, be efficiently educated in the public schools it is proposed to make provision by the opening of special classes for the hard-of-hearing in each of the four centres. These classes will be regarded as branches of the School for the Deaf, as it is essential that the teachers in charge of them should have had an adequate training in the teaching of deaf children and experience in the treatment of speechdefects generally. The latter are unfortunately very common in New Zealand, as elsewhere, and should be attended to as soon as they are observed, otherwise the difficulties in the way of eradicating them will be greatly intensified. The establishment of the special classes referred to will tend to the very desirable result of reducing the already unduly large roll number at this school. An even more necessary step that has often been recommended by the Director is the opening of a separate school for young deaf children, who should be kept away from the older pupils until they are able to express themselves by means of speech. The tendency to resort to the use of signs would then be greatly diminished. The establishment of special day classes for the hard-of-hearing and of a separate preparatory school will complete the subdivision of the present school, which for years has been larger in point of numbers than is desirable. The policy of herding the deaf together in large communities is most strongly to be condemned from an educational standpoint. The expenditure on the school for the last financial year is as follows :— £ £ Salaries and war bonus .. .. .. .. .. 4,202 Maintenance of pupils and sundry expenses .. .. .. 1,795 Travelling-expenses .. . . . . . . .. . . 174 Maintenance of buildings, furnishings, &c. .. .. .. 500 New buildings and works .. .. . . .. .. 384 7,055 Less — Parental contributions .. . . . . .. 1,295 Amounts collected from Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards 1,732 Sundry other recoveries .. .. .. .. 55 3,082 Net expenditure .. .. .. .. £3,973 The net expenditure for the year 1917-18 was £3,393. Jubilee Institute for the Blind, Auckland. The Jubilee Institute for the Blind, Auckland, which is established as a separate institution under the provisions of the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act, is governed by a Board of Trustees, four of whom are appointed by the Government. Provision is made at the Institute for the education and training of adults as well as children, although the Education Department is chiefly interested in the latter. In addition to the ordinary school subjects kindergarten classes are held, and instruction is also given in music, swimming, typewriting-and shorthand, sewing, knitting, bead work, &c. Technical work and manual training form an important part of the curriculum. The boys and men receive instruction in woodwork and in several trades, such as piano-tuning, mat and basket making, &c.
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