THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY FOR TO HIS EXCELLENCY SIR WILLIAM MACGREGOR, Doctor of Medicine, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Governor of the State of Queensland and its Dependencies, in the Commonwealth of Australia. SIR, I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the Report of the Department of Public Instruction for the year 1912. 1. This Report, with its Appendices, deals with the Educational work Contents. carried on under the provisions of "The State Education Act of 1875," and amending Acts of 1897 to 1912; "The Technical Instruction Act of 1908"; "The Grammar Schools Act, 1860," and amending Act of 1900; and The University of Queensland Act of 1909." It also contains particulars respecting State aid to the following:-Queensland University; secondary education in the form of grants to Grammar Schools, and the establishment of High Schools; scholarships and bursaries to approved Secondary schools; Technical Colleges; and Schools of Arts. PRIMARY EDUCATION. SCHOOLS IN OPERATION. schools in operation. 2. At the end of the year there were in operation 1,149 State schools, Number of 120 Provisional schools, 2 schools for Aboriginals-namely, Deebing Creek and Myora--and the Reformatory School at Westbrook. The total number of schools open during the year was 1,301. 3. The tabular statement below shows the classification of the schools open at the end of the year: with. 4. One hundred and forty-five applications for the establishment of new How dealt schools were received; of these 40 State schools and 34 Provisional schools were approved; in 5 cases the prospective attendance did not warrant the establishment of schools; 7 applications were refused, as the existing educational facilities were considered sufficient; further particulars are being sought in regard to the remaining 49 applications. In addition to the foregoing Saturday classes were approved at 16 centres. Proposed scheme. Inspectors appointed. Additions to the staff. Enrolment. Net enrolment. Average daily attendance. Cause of increase. Police attendance officers. Compulsory school age. Summonses issued. MEDICAL AND DENTAL INSPECTION. 5. The medical and dental inspection of school children was vigoroush continued during 1912. Detailed particulars will be found in Appendices C, D and E. 6. In the annual report of the Department for 1911 the following scheme 0: extension was foreshadowed: (1) Two part-time medical inspectors to be appointed for the Brisbane District. (2) One part-time medical inspector to be appointed for the Rockhampton District. (3) One part-time medical inspector to be appointed for the Townsville (4) One whole-time ophthalmic inspector of schools to be appointed for (6) One full-time dental inspector to be appointed for the Central (7) One full-time dental inspector for the Northern District. 7. That scheme has been given effect to, and the following appointments have been made : Part-time Medical Inspectors: Brisbane-Dr. J. D. Buchanan and Dr. Dental Inspectors: Central District-Mr. A. J. Macfie; Northern Ophthalmic Inspector: Douglas Rodger, M.B., Ch. B., F.R.C.S. 8. As Dr. Bourne is unable to overtake the work of medical inspection in the centres for which special provision has not been made, it is intended to appoint, as from the 1st July, 1913, a full-time medical inspector of schools as assistant to Dr. Bourne, and also to appoint an additional nurse. ATTENDANCE OF CHILDREN. 9. For the year 1912 the gross enrolment was 754 in High schools, 113,543 in State schools, and 2,379 in Provisional schools, making a total of 116,676 (Table C). 10. The net enrolment, or number of distinct children, was 513 in High schools, 99,981 in State schools, and 1,958 in Provisional schools; total 102,452. 11. The average daily attendance was 566 in High schools, 75,257 in State schools, and 1,562 in Provisional schools; total, 77,385; showing an increase of 7,191 on the average daily attendance for 1911. 12. The average daily attendance was 75.5 per cent. of the net enrolment; an increase of 5.3 per cent. on the return for 1911. 13. This very gratifying increase in the average daily attendance is no doubt due to the operations of the amended clauses of Part III. of the Act, relating to compulsory education, and which came into force from 1st July, 1912. COMPULSORY EDUCATION. 14. The police have continued to act as attendance officers, and they have maintained their high standard of efficiency in the discharge of their duties. 15. The raising of the school age to fourteen, and the making of attendance compulsory on every day that the school is open, have made a marked improvement (5.3 per cent.) in the average daily attendance of the children (Table C). 16. Summary proceedings are not taken unless it seems certain, after careful investigation by the police, that the absence of the child from school has been due to carelessness or neglect on the part of the parents. 17. The new Compulsory Clauses are administered strictly but fairly and without undue harshness. ITINERANT TEACHERS. teachers 18. The system of Itinerant Teachers was introduced in 1901, when a teacher Where the was appointed to travel throughout the South-western parts of the State. In 1907 work. two additional teachers were appointed-one for the Centre and one for the North. The Itinerant Teachers travel in the sparsely-settled districts, where there are neither Provisional schools nor Part-time schools; and the children whom they try to reach are those belonging to selectors, graziers, stockmen, boundary-riders, grooms, fencers, carriers, timber-getters, fossickers, and the like, who are unable to pay for tutors or governesses, or to send their children to schools to be educated. visits 19. So that the whole of our territory in the sparsely-settled districts of the Number of South-west, Central-west, and North-west may be visited by the Itinerant increased. Teachers, and so that each family may be visited at least four times a year, and the visit be of longer duration than could be arranged heretofore, nine additional Teachers were appointed from 1st January, 1909. teachers 20. In order that the visits of the Itinerant Teachers might be more frequent Additional and of longer duration, it was necessary that additional teachers should be appointed. appointed; and, in fulfilment of a promise made to Parliament, the Government made provision on the Estimates for 1910-11 for four additional teachers. They commenced work at the beginning of 1911. 21. The field of the Itinerant Teachers was extended from the 1st January, New by the addition of another district, namely the Clermont District, and which district. contains about 14,000 square miles. State. 22. There are therefore now 17 Itinerant Teachers at work throughout the Number of teachers. work done. 23. The following table shows, in a condensed form, the amount of work Amount of performed by the Itinerant Teachers during 1912 24. The larger districts, of course, embrace much territory which is not peopled at all; hence the apparent disparity in the size of the districts. system. 25. Dividing the expenditure for 1912 in connection with this work (£6,755 Cost of 16s. 9d.) by the number of children visited (1,916) gives £3 10s. 6d. per child. Based on the net enrolment, the average cost of a pupil in a Provisional school was £4 17s. 6d. |