C.-LIST OF SCHOOLS, WITH ATTENDANCE, STAFFS, AND COST OF MAINTENANCE

D.-ANNUAL ENROLMENT, MULTIPLE ENROLMENTS, AND NET ANNUAL ENROLMENT

38

NINETEENTH REPORT OF
OF THE

THE SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC

INSTRUCTION IN QUEENSLAND, BEING THE REPORT FOR

THE YEAR ENDING 31ST DECEMBER, 1894.

To His Excellency General Sir HENRY WYLIE NORMAN, Knight Grand Cross of
the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Most
Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, Companion of the
Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, Governor and Commander-in-
Chief of the Colony of Queensland and its Dependencies.

SIR, I have the honour to submit to Your Excellency the Report of the
Department of Public Instruction for the year 1894.

GENERAL.

1. This Report with its Appendices deals with the educational work carried contents. on under the provisions of "The State Education Act of 1875." It also contains certain particulars respecting State aid to the following:-Secondary education in the form of grants to Grammar schools, scholarships to Grammar schools, and exhibitions to Universities; The Museum; Orphanages; and the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind.

Minister.

2. During the first eight months of the year the Department was in charge change of of my predecessor, the Hon. W. H. Wilson. My period of office as Secretary for Public Instruction dates from the 23rd of August, 1894.

3. The Regulations of 1892 were revised in the early part of the year, and Revised the new code came into operation on 1st September, 1894.

Regulations.

changes.

Comparing this code with that of 1892, it will be seen that many of the Nature of changes are either verbal emendations or desirable alterations in the arrangement of the clauses. Some of the changes had been anticipated by Circular Memoranda addressed to teachers, and others by Proclamations in the Government Gazette, including the introduction of drawing, the reduced scale of additional emoluments, and the exclusion of recruits under six years of age; and the rest of the amendments were suggested by over two years' experience of the operation of the Regulations of 1892, and by the necessity for curtailing the expenditure in every way consistent with efficient teaching. Of such amendments, the following are worthy of note :—

Provisional

(1) Under clause 8 of the old Regulations the promoters of new Provisional aid in erecting
schools could claim aid towards the erection of buildings, and the total school buildings.
of such claims in any one year might exceed the provision made by
Parliament for that year. Under the new Regulations aid cannot be
claimed for any particular school unless the Minister has had an
opportunity of considering the proposals of the promoters, with their
estimate of the cost, and has approved of a subsidy being granted.

subscriptions for

State School

(2) Under the old Regulations the Department bore the whole of the Local
expense for the ordinary maintenance and repairs of State schools, and maintenance of
for such additions and alterations as were rendered necessary by buildings.
increased attendance. Under the new Regulations the Department
requires local contributions to the extent of one-fifth of the cost of
such maintenance, repairs, or additions. The object of the change is
to lessen the burden on the general revenue. The parents of the
children attending Provisional schools are, and always have been,
required to keep the buildings in good repair without any aid from
the Department, and I consider it reasonable that the parents of the
children attending State schools shall be called upon to contribute one-
fifth of the cost of maintaining the buildings.

Promotion of teachers.

Hours of instruction.

Salary of a pupil-teacher on probation.

Committee holiday.

Temporary teachers.

General instructions rovised.

Training fees,

Prospects of ex-pupilteachers.

(3) Clause 35 of the old Regulations laid down the conditions of promotion in the case of classified teachers. To these, clause 32 of the new Regulations adds, as a new condition, "that Parliament has provided money for any consequent increase of salary."

(4) Under the old Regulations it was required that pupils under seven years of age should receive instruction for at least four hours in school each day. Under the new Regulations all pupils must receive instruction in school during five hours in every school day. Since the exclusion of children under six years of age, a minimum school day of five hours is considered best for all pupils.

(5) Under the old Regulations a pupil-teacher on probation got no salary. Under the new Regulations a probationer who serves not less than six months and passes the examination at the end of the probation receives a honorarium of £5.

(6) Under the old Regulations school committees were empowered to grant one holiday in each school quarter "on proper occasions." This permission is omitted from the new Regulations. The experience of the Department under the old rule was that the limitation "on proper occasions" was very often a dead letter. School committees generally granted those holidays, often conceding them with reluctance in response to the applications of teachers who applied for them for their private convenience; and thus an unwarranted addition of four days was too often made to the ample holidays prescribed by the Regulations. An application to the Department for a holiday will be favourably considered when the occasion warrants it.

(7) Under the old Regulations there was recognised a class of adult teachers called "Temporary Teachers." It consisted of unclassified teachers who had passed a written examination somewhat higher than the examination for admission into the service as a Provisional school teacher, but lower than that for admission as a classified teacher. Under the new Regulations the status "Temporary Teacher" is no longer recognised, as there is now no necessity for employing unclassified adults in State schools, while for Provisional schools the passing of the ordinary entrance examination is sufficient.

(8) The Regulations relating to the election of school committees and to cleaning allowances were made more explicit, and those relating to leave of absence were simplified.

4. The Appendices to the Regulations and the General Instructions to teachers were also revised during the year. They are now in the hands of the printer, and will be published along with the Act and Regulations in pamphlet form at an early date.

5. Towards the end of the year I was glad to be able to restore the payment for the training of pupil-teachers, and head teachers were paid the fee of £5 for each pupil-teacher that passed the examination at the end of 1894.

6. Though my term of administration was short, the official papers coming under my observation, together with opportunities of meeting teachers and of visiting schools, enable me to re-echo the terms of commendation in which my predecessors have expressed themselves in earlier reports regarding the teachers of the public schools: they, as a body, are faithful in the discharge of their duties, and in their lives and conversation set a worthy example for their pupils to follow.

7. The services of pupil-teachers cease at the end of the term of pupilage. This may have a tendency to discourage parents from entering their children as candidates for the office of pupil-teacher, and there are indications that such has been the case in some instances. It may be supposed that pupil-teachers at the end of their apprenticeship find themselves without employment, or the hope of employment in their profession, and have to look out for a new calling, and to begin life afresh. Practically the case is different, for heretofore employment has always been found for them immediately, and those that were willing to accept the position have been appointed to the charge of Provisional schools, where they at once

received a considerable advance of salary. It is desirable that this should be known, and especially that it should be recognised that their employment in State schools sooner or later is inevitable, for they are the only source from which additions to the adult staff of State schools can be drawn, and as the colony grows and the pupils multiply, opportunities will occur for re-employing them. The pupil-teacher system requires their exclusion from State schools for a time, and the demand for economy operates in the same direction. But they are not left unprovided for, and the country gains a real advantage from having the Provisional schools in the hands of young trained teachers in the place of the casual untrained persons on whom the Department had to rely for many years for this part of its work.

8. The fifth celebration of Arbor Day took place on the 1st of May. Arbor Day. Including the replanting of the failures of previous years, 1,060 trees were planted in the various school grounds, many shrubs and vines were put in, and flower beds formed, tree guards and fences were secured, borders and flower beds trimmed, and the planted ground weeded and cleaned. Reports of Arbor Day proceedings were received from 149 teachers, and from these reports it appears that on the whole the interest manifested was greater than last year, and at least equal to that shown in former years.

schools.

9. New State school buildings were opened at Aldershot, near Maryborough, New State and at Wallumbilla, near Roma. At the end of the year the new State school buildings at Lake's Creek were ready to be opened.

Particulars of the cost of each

of these schools will be found in Table G, appended to this Report.

State schools.

10. Important additions, repairs, and improvements were made at fourteen Additions to existing State schools. Of the additions the largest were at Junction Park, Brisbane Central, Pittsworth, and Cooktown. Particulars respecting these works will be found in Table I, appended to this Report.

accommodation

11. The amount of accommodation in the State schools of the colony was Increase in increased by 2,822 square feet during the year 1894. Of this increase 1,152 square in state schools. feet was furnished by new schools, and 1,670 square feet by additions to existing schools. Allowing square fect of floor space for each child, provision was made for an increase of 352 pupils. The actual increase for the year in State schools was 567.

accommodation

12. At the end of the year the total floor space in the State schools was Total amount of 445,119 square feet, exclusive of verandahs; and allowing 8 square feet for in state schools. each child, the accommodation was enough for 55,610 pupils. The average attendance at those schools for the year 1894 was 38,311.

schools.

13. Thirty new Provisional schools were opened during the year. They were New Provisional distributed amongst the several districts as follows:-In Moreton-Lake Weyba, Short Cut, Mooloolah, Woolmar, Brassall, Helidon Scrub, Hessenberg, Ivory's Creek, Moorang, Prenzlau, and Merryvale; in Darling Downs-Wilsonton, Macalister, and Whichello; in Wide Bay and Burnett-Cootharaba road, Woowonga, Cordalba, Mount Steadman, and Bollier; in the south-western districts-Amby, Lagoon Flat, and Mungindi; in the Central districts-Ulam South and Cardbeign; in the Northern districts-Prairie, Tate Tin Mines, Victoria Plantation, Wright's Creek, Northcote, and Castleton.

14. Four half-time Provisional schools which had been closed for some time Re-opened. were reopened--namely, Booie with Charlestown, and Kunioon with Coolabunia.

status of

15. On account of increased attendance during 1893 the schools at Clifton Changes in Homestead Area, Cloncurry, Gramzow, Isisford, Mount Kent, Oakey Creek, and schools. Swanfels were restored to the status of State schools from 1st January, 1894; and Geraldton was similarly restored from 1st August. The classification of Wallumbilla as a State school was deferred till 1st January, 1895. On the other hand, the school at Clifton Colliery was classed as Provisional on account of reduced attendance.

16. Three Provisional schools were closed on account of insufficient attendance closed. -Muldiva, near Herberton; Lucky Valley, near Warwick; and Range's Bridge, near Dalby.