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STANFORD LIBR,

THIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY FOR
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION IN QUEENSLAND, BEING THE REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 1910.

SIR,-I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the Report of the

Department of Public Instruction for the

year 1910.

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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 and 1900; "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; scholarships and bursaries to approved
Secondary schools; Technical Colleges; and Schools of Arts.

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How dealt

with.

Classification

of certain

held up for two years.

APPLICATIONS FOR NEW SCHOOLS.

4. One hundred and one applications for the establishment of new schools were received; they were dealt with as follows:-Thirty-one State schools and twenty-seven Provisional schools were approved; in five cases the prospective attendance did not warrant the establishment of schools; one application was refused because the proposed school would have been too near to existing schools; further particulars are being sought in regard to the remaining thirty-seven applications.

CLASSIFICATION OF SCHOOLS.

5. Regulation 55 provides that schools shall be classified in each year schools to be according to the average attendance during the preceding year. A relaxation of this regulation has been allowed so far as teachers are concerned. Upon my recommendation the Government has approved that when the average annual attendance at a school does not warrant its being classified as of the same class in which it stood for the preceding year the school be not reduced in classification for two years, notwithstanding the attendance; provided the same teacher remains in charge of the school. This is an important concession to teachers, and its justification lies in the fact that it is generally due to causes beyond the control of the teacher that the attendance falls; amongst the causes may be mentioned epidemics, exclusion of children under the rules relating to infectious diseases, excessively wet weather, abandonment of mining fields, &c. By keeping the classification of the school up for two years the teacher has an opportunity of restoring the average if the decrease was due to passing causes; if, however, the decrease is likely to be permanent, the Department has two years in which to find for the teacher a school in which he will not suffer diminution of emoluments.

Enrolment.

Average daily attendance.

Causes of decrease.

Notifications

ATTENDANCE OF CHILDREN.

6. For the year 1910 the gross enrolment was 107,446 in State schools, and 1,760 in Provisional schools, making a total of 109,206 (Table C).

7. The net enrolment, or number of distinct children, was 95,054 in State schools, and 1,489 in Provisional schools; total, 96,543; showing an increase of 586 for all schools.

8. The average daily attendance was 68,288 at State schools, and 1,151 at Provisional schools; total, 69,439; showing a decrease of 316 on the average daily attendance for 1909.

9. The average daily attendance was 71.9 per cent. of the net enrolment, a decrease of 1.1 per cent. on the return for 1909.

10. The decrease was mainly due to excessively wet weather, and to the strict enforcement of the rules relating to infectious diseases.

COMPULSORY EDUCATION.

11. The police have continued to act as attendance officers, and they have and warnings maintained their high standard of efficiency in the discharge of their duties. Notifications and urgent notifications were served upon defaulting parents by the police in 676 cases reported to them by teachers. In 79 bad cases special letters of warning were sent direct from the Department to defaulting parents.

Summonses issued.

Raising of school age.

12. Summonses were issued in 139 of the worst cases, and convictions were obtained in 96 per cent. of them. 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. 13. For many years the Department has persistently advocated the raising of the age of compulsory school attendance. I am hopeful of getting an Act passed in 1911 to raise the school age and to increase the number of days of compulsory attendance. Queensland is much behind the more advanced countries in this respect, and the amendment of the Compulsory Clauses of the Education Act is one of the most pressing necessities of the Department.

RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION IN STATE SCHOOLS.

of Act.

14. An Act making provision for Religious Instruction in State Schools Provisions was assented to on the 24th of November, 1910. The Act provides that instruction shall, in accordance with regulations in that behalf, be given in the primary schools during school hours in selected Bible lessons from a separate reading-book to be provided for the purpose; the Act further provides that any minister of religion shall, in accordance with regulations in that behalf, be entitled during school hours to give to the children in attendance at a primary school who are members of the religious society or denomination of which he is a minister, religious instruction during one hour of such school day or school days as the.committee or other governing body of such school are able to appoint.

15. Comprehensive regulations to give effect to the Act were duly prepared and promulgated.

16. Up to the 30th June, 1911, 490 applications to give religious instruc- Number of tion had been granted. The details are as follow:

applications received.

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17. The Special Departmental Committee which was appointed to prepare Scripture a new set of ordinary reading-books for the schools was entrusted with the task of Lesson Books. preparing the Scripture Lesson books which were required under the Act providing for Religious Instruction.

18. The Scripture Lesson books have now been prepared, and are being issued. The printing and binding was done in the State Government Printing Office.

19. Not less than half an hour nor more than one hour per week is to be Time to be devoted to the Scripture Lessons.

20. The Committee has performed its work very creditably and the books seem to be meeting with general approval.

devoted to subject.

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