PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference -
C.O. 882
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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Normal School.
C. Weston, Master.-I cannnot speak much of him from experience, as he left the The Normal School colony not long after my arrival, and was in ill-health in the meantime.
not being as vet opened, his duties consisted (previous to my arrival) in inspecting the Government Schools, and communicating to the masters improved methods of imparting instruction. Not knowing the state of the masters before his inspection, I cannot say to what extent they benefited by it. In personal intercourse with him, I was very favourably impressed with his intimate and ready knowledge of the different methods of imparting instruction, and of matters generally relating to school management. But from circum- stances that have lately come to my knowledge, respecting his career in this colony, inclined to fear that he may afford one of a class of instances by no means uncommon, of a highly-trained teacher, who, from want of a practical turn of mind, and deficiency of energy, does not prove nearly so successful in the actual management of a school as many a person who would decidedly prove his inferior, were the qualifications of each to be decided by an examination of their acquirements, not of their schools.
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Vocal Music: Mrs. Bradshaw, Mistress.-The mistress instructs in the five Port Louis Schools, giving an hour to each once a week. The state of the music classes is such as to impress me favourably with the teacher's efficiency in performing the difficult task of instructing in singing (and that in English) a number of children simultaneously.
Geometry Class: Mr. De Caile, Professor.-The Professor instructs the advanced pupils of the five Port Louis Schools and the School at Roche-bois three hours a day, twice each week, receiving the pupils of four schools one day, and those of two the others. The Professor has an evening class, intended for the benefit of young mechanics, five days in the taught week, two hours each time. The pupils, both of the day and evening classes, ane how to define and draw different geometrical figures, plain or solid. They learn the rules for the solution of the most useful problems, and are practised with numerical examples. The Professor is possessed of much quickness and intelligence, and his duties are performed efficiently. On some few occasions, however, I have not found him at his post.
With respect to Mr. De Caile's fitness for situations superior to that in my department, I have only to observe that he is also a Professor in the Royal College, where his capacity for imparting in clear and popular style the elements of science and practical information immediately deducible from thein, might be availed of with advantage more extensively than they are at present.
Government Teachers.-The duties of the Government Teachers and their Assistants is to impart an elementary English and French education. They are employed five hours daily, five days in the week, except the school holidays, of about four weeks twice a year, and a few other holidays. The masters take charge and account for school requisites; collect the school fees of 18. a month, and make such reports and returns as the Superin- tendent calls for. As the duties of teachers are by no means similar to those of other public servants, I shall not in general think it necessary to offer any opinion as to their fitness for other situations in the public service. The few exceptions will be in cases when the person under consideration appears to have claims for promotion in his own department to some other branch of it.
Eastern Suburb School.
C. A. Peach, Master; C. D. Keane, Assistant; Mrs. Jones, Mistress; Miss H. White,
Assistant.
The Master is possessed of a fluent knowledge of French as well as English, and struck me as extremely laborious and painstaking for some time after my arrival. He is extremely dull, and his natural dulness is increasing very much, owing, I fear, to the effects of drink. In this I may be mistaken, as I have never seen the Master intoxicated. When competent teachers can more easily be had, it will become my duty, I fear, to recommend this Master's removal, should no improvement take place in the meantime.
The Assistant is a man of energy and intelligence, and will, I think, make a good Master.
Both the Mistress and her Assistant are intelligent and well-educated. Neither of them possess much experience, but they do not appear wanting in good will to do their duty. The efficiency of the Mistress is in some degree interfered with by deafness.
Royal Street School.
J. Anderson, Master; Assistant (vacant); R. Terrière, 2nd Assistant; Miss R. Rose, Mistress; Misa L. Rose, Assistant,
I am favourably impressed with the intelligence and character of the Master. The order which prevails in his school is very good. The acquirements of the children, though satisfactory, are not so good as might be expected in a school, the teacher of which appears so well acquainted with his calling. This I attribute chiefly to insufficiency of assistance for
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conducting so large a school. At the close of 1857 there was no First Assistant; the Second Assistant is a person of very moderate capacity, but painstaking, and of much service for teaching the younger children. The Mistress is very satisfactory. She knows English, which very few of the female Creole teachers do, and has had the advantage of some training under two competent European teachers, not now in the colony. The Assistant has been but very lately appointed. She promises to turn out well.
Côte d'Or School.
T. J. Jenkins, Master: Mrs. Jenkins, Mistress; N. J. Julee, Assistant; L. Lol, Second Assistant.
The Master, a native of Sierra Leone, has been a 'Government teacher since 1821. I have seen many favourable notices of him in former years. It may be that his efficiency is impaired by time, but at present the boys' department of his school is very disorderly. The children, however, are better taught than might be anticipated from the system (or rather want of system) under which they are instructed. The Master exerts himself with success to secure a good attendance. His Assistants have not impressed me very favourably, but they have not any deficiencies that I know of that may not be expected to disappear in time.
The Mistress keeps good order in her department, and makes her pupils devote attention to needlework. Her literary acquirements I do not believe to be high. Much of the instruction imparted to the girls is by the teachers of the boys' schools.
Moka St eet School.
C. E. Gordon, Master; C. Marjolin, Assistant; Mrs. Jeffreys, Mistress; Mrs. Bernadeau Assistant.
Notwithstanding imperfect health, which somewhat impairs his energy, the Master is decidedly efficient. I do not think he had much experience previous to his entering the Government Schools in 1856, but he has improved much even during the short time I have been in the colony. The capacity of his Assistant is moderate, but he has a competent knowledge of English, which is not common with Creole Assistants, and is decidedly useful in his present situation. The Mistress is intelligent, but deficient, it strikes me, in method. Her Assistant is tolerably satisfactory, but does not know English. The female teachers are not successful in securing a good attendance of girls. This the Mistress ascribes to the establishment of a Roman Catholic school in the vicinity.
Western Suburb School.
C. Leal, Master; C. Gillet, Assistant; Second Assistant (vacant); Mrs. Fox, Mistress ;
Servant.
The Master, a Creole, knows English, as well as French, and appears to be very well educated. The state of his school has impressed me favourably in most respects. The Assistant does not know English; but in other respects, for the most part, is not inferior to other persons in a similar situation. The Mistress does little besides keeping the girls As the to needle work and preserving order, and is not, I think, capable of much more. school is a mixed one, the girls do not suffer from the deficiency of the Mistress to any very
considerable extent.
The Tamil School.
Amandasser, Master.
As I do not know Tamil I cannot speak much of the Master's acquirements from personal experience. The Rev. Mr. Taylor, who knows the language, and who obligingly accompanies me to the Tamil and Hindustanee Schools, expresses a rather favourable opinion of the Master's capacity. The Master professes to be a Christian, but he does not appeat to be anything better, or more to be relied on, than the generality of low caste Indians.
Hindustanee School.
Sheik Yex Ali, Master,
The Master, a Mahometan, seems a much more respectabile person than the Master of the Tamil School. But he neglects Hindustanee as much as he can, and appears to prefer keeping the children to learning Arabic by heart in the Koran. Neither his school, nor that of the Tamil teacher, can be considered successful as regards attendance.
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