Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 70

Appendix B

page break

Appendix B.

Reforms and Improvements

Carried Out at the Suggestion of the Educational Institute.

The Committee of Management wishes to lay before the teachers of Otago some reforms carried out by the educational authorities at the suggestion of the Institute, as well as a number of improvements suggested at various times by the Institute.

I.—Teachers and the University.

(a) Facilities for obtaining Degrees of N.Z. University.

Owing to the representations of the Institute the special privileges conferred on teachers, permitting them to proceed to the M.A. degree, were extended for several years, when a considerable number of teachers proceeded to graduation, who would not have been enabled to do so had it not been for the intervention and influence of the Institute. In this way many teachers, who would not otherwise have had an opportunity of doing so, have been enabled to improve their professional status.

(b) The Pass in Elementary Science for E and D Certificates.

When regulations were issued by the Education Department in 1880, making it compulsory for all teachers to pass an examination in Elementary Science before they could receive a permanent certificate, your institute made arrangements with its President (Professor Black) for a course of lectures in Chemistry and a pass in this subject was held to exempt teachers from passing any further examination in Elementary Science.

(c) Saturday Classes for Teachers.

The very successful Saturday classes, which were kindly undertaken by Professors Shand and Black, and which were attended by a large number of teachers, would not have been held at all had it not been for the Institute.

page 13

II.—Teachers and the Standards of Education.

The Institute has given most of its time and directed most of its energy to this work.

(a) First Introduction of Class Subjects.

When the Institute was first formed, the whole of the subjects of instruction were, treated as individual or pass subjects. In 1885, at the suggestion of the Institute, the principle of class examination was first introduced into the syllabus. The Secretary of the Institute drew up a full statement of all the reasons that could be advanced in favour of class examination, and sent it to the Minister for Education, Sir R. Stout. In the first place, the important principle was extended to history only, and in part to geography.

(b) Grouping of different Standards in small Schools.

Later, the representations of the Institute to the Education Department had the effect of securing for the teachers of small schools the liberty to group different standards in certain subjects of instruction. It is scarcely necessary to point out that this change afforded considerable relief to teachers in small schools.

(c) Three Years' Course in Elementary Science to be prepared by Teachers themselves.

Still more recently liberal provision was made for the better teaching of science in schools, by allowing teachers themselves to prepare a three years' course of lessons.

(d) Recent Modifications of the Syllabus.

It is scarcely necessary to say that the recent interview with the Hon. W. P. Reeves, Minister for Education, was the means of securing beneficial modification in the standards of education. It may be advisable to re-state these in succinct form :—(1) That Grammar has been made a class subject in all the standards except the fourth; (2) that the Geography of Standards III. and V. has been very considerably reduced in amount; (3) that the principle of stricter definition takes the place of vague enumeration; (4) that in the matter of History a period of a hundred years has been excised from Standard VI., and permission given to teachers to make a selection of events in each period upon which the examination may be based. In connection with this branch of the page 14 Institute's work, your Committee would call to mind that it has been the consistent aim of the Institute from first to last to try and educate the public to the pernicious effects of "passes" and "percentages." When individual passes and percentages were most in favour with the public and the inspectorate, the Institute was offering strenuous opposition to the whole system.

(e) Provision for Excepting Irregular Pupils.

Previous to 1885, the Regulations of the Education Department made no provision for excepting pupils who attended irregularly. All failures were counted against the teacher of the school in which the pupil was examined. At the suggestion of the Institute a provision was introduced by Sir Robert Stout, then Minister for Education, making exceptions of those pupils who failed, but who had not made more than half the number of attendances during the three quarters preceding that in which the examination was held.

III.—Teachers and Inspectors.

The Institute has frequently considered representations made to it by members with regard to the Inspectors' interpretation of the syllabus.

On one occasion a member of the Institute represented that the Inspector of his district had set examination papers which, in his opinion, were wholly beyond the requirements of the syllabus. The Council of the Institute appealed to the Minister for Education, when a memorandum was sent by the Minister to the Inspector, informing the latter that he had exceeded the limits of his authority in setting questions of the kind indicated in the copies of the examination papers forwarded to the Minister for Education.

IV.—Teachers and Teachers' Salaries.

On any occasion when retrenchment has been imminent, and such retrenchment would have proved injurious to the cause of Education, the Institute has made strenuous efforts to prevent its being carried out. Examples of the action taken by the Institute are given below.

(a) Representations made by the Institute to Parliament.

Your committee does not intend to present in detail all the statements that have from time to time been submitted to both Houses of Parliament. It will be necessary to instance the action page 15 taken by the Institute when it was proposed by some to raise the school age to six and by others to seven. The Institute, in tabulated form, showed the result of any such action on the smaller schools of the Colony owing to the reduction of the capitation allowance, and made a comparative statement showing the school age in other countries and the Colonies, giving also a table showing that teachers' salaries were lower in New Zealand than in the neighbouring colonies. A printed copy giving additional reasons against the proposal, was sent to every member of both Houses of Parliament. The statement was read in the House and the facts and reasons appear in the pages of Hansard. It reached members at an opportune moment, and according to the testimony of the members of the House, was largely the means of preventing the school age being raised. Your Committee wishes to call attention to the financial results of this action of the Institute. Had the age been raised, teachers' salaries would have been reduced by a sum of £10,000 had the age been raised to six, and by £20,000 if it had been raised to seven.

(b) Representations made to the Otago Education Board.

During the last two years, the Institute has three times addressed the Education Board with regard to—
(1)The Bonus System.
(2)Reduction of Teachers' Salaries.
(3)Resolutions suggesting a scheme for the classification of schools and appointments.

These matters are at present under consideration by the Education Board, and the Committee trust that the members of the Board will give full consideration to the facts supplied by the Institute at various times during the last two years.

(c) Representation made by Institute to Auckland Education Board.

In August, 1891, a motion was tabled by a member of the Auckland Education Board, "That in future no teacher in the Board's service shall be paid a salary exceeding £300." (The teachers in Auckland district, by the way, have no house allowance granted to them.)

Your Institute at once sent up a statement showing the salaries paid by Education Boards in other districts of New Zealand, and giving a number of reasons why the salaries of head-masters "should not be reduced as suggested in the motion. The proposal to lower the salaries was not carried.

page 16

In connection with the subject of teachers' salaries, the Committee may mention that in Otago teachers' salaries were formerly paid quarterly, and that the present system of monthly payments was adopted by the Board, at the request of a deputation from the Institute.

V.—Teachers and the Education System.

(a) Attack on the Education System by the 'N.Z. Herald.'

In February, 1891, an article appeared in the 'New Zealand Herald,' a newspaper published in Auckland, containing a number of misleading statements regarding the results of our education system.

At the request of the Hon. the Minister for Education, the Institute drew up an answer to the charges made in the article referred to, and forwarded them to the Minister.

(b) Action of the Institute at the last General Election.

Before last general election of members of the House of Representatives, the Institute drew up a circular asking candidates for seats in Parliament to give their opinions concerning certain matters of interest to teachers, and especially with regard to (1) raising the school age to seven years; (2) limiting the course of instruction to the Fourth Standard; and (3) the Private Schools' Bill introduced by Mr V. Pyke. A copy of this circular was sent to every candidate for a seat in the Otago district, and the replies sent by candidates were published in the Press.

VI.—Teachers and Education Boards.

On several occasions, both in Otago and in the other provinces, the opinions of the Institute with respect to complaints by teachers as to their treatment by Education Boards, have been laid before the Board concerned, and before the public of New Zealand.

This has only been done, however, on the matter being brought under the notice of the Committed by a member of the Institute, and when the case appeared to justify their intervention.

The case most recently under consideration is that of Mr. E. M. C. Harrison, of Auckland. The Executive of the Institute, acting on behalf of the teachers of the Colony, have sent a memorial to the Auckland Education Board, asking for further consideration of the case, and praying them to re-instate Mr. Harrison.

page 17

VII.—Teachers and the Education Department.

The Institute by frequent interviews with successive Ministers for Education and with the Inspector-General, has been enabled to create and maintain very friendly relations between the Education Department and teachers—relations that cannot fail to be productive of good to the cause of education and to the teaching profession. To such an extent has the work of the Institute been recognised as useful and important work that the Government has been pleased to show its appreciation thereof by an annual grant towards the expenses of the annual meeting of the Institute. Your Committee is not quite sure how far it is fair to the Institute to attempt to judge of the success of its work by parading on paper a number of specific reforms or modifications of the education system. In the opinion of your Committee much good and useful work done by such a body as the Institute must necessarily be of a somewhat intangible and indirect kind—of a kind, that is to say, that will not easily lend itself to precise and formal statement or definition. The influence and work of the Institute must not be judged of solely by the number of instances which the Institute may definitely point to as the result of its work and discussions, though even looked at from this point of view, the résumé which your committee has presented shows some results by no means insignificant.

vignette

page break

Educational Institute of Otago.

Fifteenth

Annual Report

—Will be Held in—

Y.W.C.A. Rooms, Moray Place,

—On—

14th and 15th July, 1892.

Programme of proceedings.

Thursday, 14th July, 11 A.M.

Adoption of Annual Report, Election of Officers and Members of Committee of Management, Appointment of Committees.

Report of Delegates to Council, 1892.

Thursday, 8 P.M.

Address by the President

Jas. Rennie, Esq., B.A.

Discussion on Manual and Technical Instruction Bill introduced by the Hon. the Minister for Education.

Friday, 11 A.M.

"The Classification of Schools"

Mr. W. Davidson.

Discussion of a motion forwarded to the Council by the Secondary Schools' Conference.

Friday, 8 P.M.

(a) "Some Notes on the Development of the Brain in relation to Education"

Dr. Jeffcoat.

(b)"Reading aloud : a Test of Intelligence"

R. Peattie, Esq., M.A.

page break
RECEIPTS. EXPENDITURE. £ s. d. £ s. d. To Balance ... ... ... 0 18 8 By Coulls, Culling & Co.—Printing ... 6 19 0 " Subscription from Institute Members ... 4 12 6 Rent of Halls for Meetings ... 2 15 0 " Dunedin Branch ... - 15 1 6 "Advertising ... ... 2 16 0 " Balance from Conversazione ... o 14 9 N.Z. Educational Institute... ... 10 o o Milton Branch... ... ... 500 "Deduction allowed to Milton Branch ... o 15 0 " Secretary (postage, telegrams, &c.) ... 250 " Balance in hand ... ... 0175 £26 7 5 £26 7 5

Educational Institute of Otago.

Statement of Accounts for the Year 1891-92.

Audited and found correct,

W. J. Moore

, Auditor.

R. G. Whetter

, Treasurer.