✨ Education Report and Returns
NEW ZEALAND
GOVERNMENT GAZETTE,
(PROVINCE OF NELSON.)
Published by Authority.
All Public Notifications which appear in this Gazette, with any Official Signature thereunto annexed, are to be considered as Official Communications made to those Persons to whom they may relate, and are to be obeyed accordingly.
By His Honor's command,
ALFRED GREENFIELD, Provincial Secretary.
VOL. XV. NELSON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 1867. No. 33.
Superintendent's Office,
Nelson, 8th August, 1867.
THE SUPERINTENDENT directs the publication of the following Report and Returns for general information.
ALFRED GREENFIELD,
Provincial Secretary.
REPORT OF THE INSPECTOR OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
To DONALD SINCLAIR, Esq., Chairman of the Central Board of Education.
SIR,—Taking mere numbers as a test of success, the returns that I have now the honor of laying before the Board appear to me to be very satisfactory; the gross attendance for the past year being 2256 (an increase of 149 on the previous return), the number of children on the roll during each quarter being 1750, 65 per cent of whom were in daily attendance.
And in that part of the returns which deals with the proficiency of the children, I am able to record a steady advancement in the more important subjects taught. This will be more clearly shown by taking each branch separately, pointing out, at the same time, in what subjects any marked deficiency still exists, and to what causes it is apparently due.
Reading.—The number of readers marked "good," 559; is 83 in excess of last year's return. It ought, perhaps, to be explained that by "good reading," nothing more is meant than the ability to read aloud a narrative of ordinary difficulty fluently and correctly; and when it is remembered that more than a third of the children who have reached this degree of proficiency are under 12 years, I think it will be admitted, both that the standard adopted is sufficiently high, and that it is creditable that so many should have attained it. A due proportion of time and attention is now generally bestowed on this subject by the teachers, and I have noticed that the children are remarkably free from any provincial accent, and that they read, for the most part, distinctly, and with a tolerably correct intonation.
Writing.—I referred last year to the great improvement that had been effected in penmanship. Still further progress has since been made, the number of good writers having increased by a seventh. I attribute this result partly to the greater pains now generally bestowed by the teachers on this branch, and partly to the almost universal use of the excellent copy-books published by Darnell. I may, how-
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Nelson Provincial Gazette 1867, No 33
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
🎓 Publication of the Report of the Inspector of Public Schools
🎓 Education, Culture & Science8 August 1867
Education, Schools, Inspector of Schools, Attendance, Reading, Writing, Nelson
- Donald Sinclair (Esquire), Chairman of the Central Board of Education
- Alfred Greenfield, Provincial Secretary