C.-LIST OF SCHOOLS, WITH ATTENDANCE, STAFFS, AND COST OF MAINTENANCE ...16-31 D.-ANNUAL ENROLMENT, MULTIPLE ENROLMENTS, AND NET ANNUAL ENROLMENT TWENTY-FIRST REPORT OF THE SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC To His Excellency The Right Honourable CHARLES WALLACE ALEXANDER NAPIER, Baron Lamington of Lamington, in the county of Lanark, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George, 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 1896. 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; and the Orphanages. of inspectors. 2. A conference of inspectors was held in the midwinter vacation week. Conference Numerous questions were discussed, and such of the recommendations of the conference as received the approval of the Government will be embodied in a fresh issue of the Regulations in 1897. The principal changes are a fresh distribution of work in the various classes, and the granting of a fixed salary to pupil-teachers on probation. emoluments of restored. 3. The scale of "additional emoluments" to head-teachers which came into Additional force from 1st January, 1892, was reduced by one-third from 1st July, 1893. From 1892 partly 1st July, 1896, Parliament having voted the necessary funds, I was able to restore to teachers the half of this reduction; so that, at present, the teachers receive five-sixths of the "additional emoluments" paid prior to July, 1893. superior 4. On the 30th July, 1896, the Legislative Assembly passed the following Reports on resolution :-"That in the opinion of this House it is desirable that Reports should school State be obtained and presented to Parliament from the Under Secretary and the General Inspector for Public Instruction as to the advisability and desirability of amending 'The State Education Act of 1875,' so as to incorporate therein the provisions of The Public Instruction Act of 1880' of New South Wales relating to superior State schools." Reports by Mr. Anderson and Mr. Ewart were laid on the table of the House on the 20th October accordingly, and appear as an appendix to this Report. 5. In the nature of the case, the operations of a Department that has Usual growth. administered the Education Act of 1875 for over twenty years can now present little variety from year to year. The records for 1896 show the usual increase of schools and pupils, and consequently of expenditure, while the results of the teaching are, I believe, steadily improving. Two items in this Report invite special attentionthe great increase in the average daily attendance of pupils and the reduction in the cost per head of each child taught. The average daily attendance in 1996 was Large increase 6,016 more than in 1895. This is the largest annual increase recorded in the small cost per annals of the Department. The whole cost of Primary Education divided by the average number of scholars in daily attendance gives £3 10s. 83d. as the cost per head. This sum is 6s. per head lower than the corresponding rate of last year, and it is lower than the rate for any previous year. This reduction will not be permanent Cause of however, for the great increase in the attendance during 1896 made it necessary to per head. increase the teaching staff by appointing a large number of pupil-teachers on probation, whose salaries, now very small, will increase from year to year; also, the expenditure in erecting, painting, and repairing buildings, which was kept very low, must in future be dealt with on a more liberal scale. in attendance. head. decrease in cost New State schools. Additions to Increase in accommodation 6. Only three new State schools were opened during 1896-namely, Crescent Lagoon (near Rockhampton), Wynnum, and Eight-mile Plains. The old and dilapidated school buildings at Laidley South were superseded by new premises erected about two miles to the south of the former site. Particulars of the cost of the buildings will be found in Table G appended to this Report. 7. Besides the numerous small repairs and additions to school furniture, important additions, repairs, and improvements were made at forty-one existing State schools. Particulars respecting each of these works are given in Table I. appended to this Report. 8. The amount of accommodation in the State schools of the Colony was in State schools. increased by 7,427 square feet during the year 1896. Of this increase 2,340 square feet was furnished by the new schools at Wynnum, Crescent Lagoon, and Eight-mile Plains; 5,087 square feet by additions to existing schools at Croydon, Fortitude Valley, Junction Park, Bundaberg East, Goodna, and Indooroopilly Pocket. Allowing 8 square feet of floor space for each child, provision was made for an increase of 928 pupils. The actual increase in the average attendance at the State schools was 4,863. Total accommodation 9. At the end of the year the total floor space in the State schools was 462,476 in State schools. Square feet, exclusive of verandahs; and allowing 8 square feet for each child, the accommodation was enough for 57,809 pupils. The average attendance at those schools for the year 1896 was 46,087. New provisional schools. Re-opened. Schools closed, State schools applied for. Provisional schools applied for. Number of schools at the 10. Thirty-five new provisional schools were opened during the year. They were situated as follows:-In Moreton District: Blackbutt, Charlwood, Currumbin Creek, Fairney View, Grantham Scrub, Gregor's Creek, Mount Forbes, and Razorback; in Darling Downs and Western Districts: Annievale, Beranga Bridge, Bergen, Brigalow Gully, Columboola, Mulga, Poybah, Prestons, Retreat, and West Haldon; in Wide Bay and Burnett Districts: Bidwell, Duingal, Givelda, Kalbar, Kannagan, Kingbombie, Pie Creek, Rosedale, and Traveston Siding; in the Central Districts: Alligator Creek, Pleystowe, and Scrubby Mount; in the Northern Districts: Dungeness, Evelyn Scrub, Freshwater, Golden Gate, and Horn Island. 11. Three provisional schools which had been closed for some time were re-opened, namely, Kington near Rockhampton, Mount Shamrock in the Burnett District, and West Prairie in the Darling Downs District. 12. Six provisional schools were closed on account of insufficient attendance, namely, Apple Forest near Leyburn, Bajool near Rockhampton, Broughton Road near Charters Towers, Cressbrook on the Upper Brisbane River, Grass Tree near Mackay, and Inskip Point at the entrance to Wide Bay. 13. A State school took the place of the provisional school at Eight-mile Plains, near Brisbane. The State school at Kamerunga, near Cairns, was closed on account of insufficient attendance, but was replaced by the new provisional school at Freshwater, on the Cairns-Herberton Railway. 14. Nineteen applications for the establishment of new State schools were received and dealt with. At the end of the year 11 of these applications had been approved, and preliminary action taken to establish the State schools. In the case of the other 8 applications, action was postponed pending further proof that the attendance at the existing provisional schools would be sufficient to warrant a State school. Particulars respecting each of these applications are given in Table H appended to this Report. 15. Fifty-seven applications for the establishment of new provisional schools were received and dealt with. At the end of the year 34 of these applications had been approved and preliminary action taken to establish the schools, 9 of the applications were not approved, and 14 were in abeyance pending further information. The action taken with regard to each of these applications is specified in Table H appended to this Report. SCHOOLS IN OPERATION IN 1896. 16. At the end of the year there were in operation 763 schools, comprising 385 end of the year. State and 374 provisional, together with 4 special schools-namely, the Reformatory school for boys at Lytton, and the schools for aboriginals at Myora near Dunwich, Deebing Creek near Ipswich, and Murray Island in Torres Straits. There was a net increase of 33 schools for the year. |
