CO885-9 — Page 568

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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of the winter. This hope had not, however, been realized, as, during the short winter days, the teachers in the country districts had not sufficient time at their disposal to travel to Valletta in order to attend the lectures. It had, therefore, been decided to deliver the lectures during the ensuing summer; they were to be given by Dr. T. Agius, Professor of Physics in the University, and were to be illustrated with lantern slides. The Chief Government Medical Officer has now completed the text-book referred to in Sir Charles Mansfield Clarke's despatch of the 8th December, 1903, and the work has been placed in the hands of the printers.

West Indies.

BAHAMAS.

The Inspector of Schools states that at his last inspection he found that at many schools nothing had been done in this direction, and that in others lessons had been commenced but discontinued, and had been either forgotten or given to pupils who had since left. The Board of Education have since caused school teachers through- out the Colony to be notified that unless at his next visit the Inspector finds evidence of reasonable effort to carry out the scheme, disciplinary measures will be resorted to under the by-laws of the Board. It appears to the Acting Governor that before much result can be expected, the teachers must themselves be taught, and he will endeavour to induce the Board to make arrangements towards this end.

BARBADOS.

During the year 1906, in addition to the books already in use on the subject of sanitation and hygiene, the Board of Education had under consideration the pre- paration of a text-book suitable to the needs of the Colony embodying the substance of certain lectures which had been forwarded to them at the instance of the Secre- tary of State for the Colonies. But before definite action was taken in the matter, the book entitled "Lessons on Elementary Hygiene and Sanitation" by Dr. W. T. Prout, was received by the Board, and this was thought so admirable that the decision to prepare a special hand-book was abandoned. This book has been placed on the "Instructions to Elementary School Teachers for 1907" as one of their exami- nation exercises, and as soon as the teachers and pupil teachers have become fairly familiar with it, it will be adopted as a reading book for the higher standards. The Board's first intention was to require Dr. Prout's book to be read at once by the children of the higher standards, but on further consideration this plan was deferred until the teachers themselves had had an opportunity of studying it. The Secretary of the Board of Education mentions that long ago the Education Board of the Colony introduced two excellent books into the Elementary Schools: (a) Nelson's class book on Domestic Economy, and (b) Longman's Domestic Economy Readers, that these two books familiarize children with the rules of health and the benefits to be derived from cleanliness both of their surroundings and persons and ventilation, and that a great deal is also to be found in them on the subject of water and food, and the diseases to be contracted from the presence of impurity in either. He adds that it is not only from books that the children are taught cleanliness, that the Inspectors of Schools are very careful to note that the schools are kept clean and airy, and that there are but few teachers who are offenders on this point. The subject of cleanliness" has also been placed among the "Moral Lessons" required of the standards, and it is examined in at the Annual Premium Examination. Early in 1907 Blackie's Science Readers were introduced into the Elementary Schools. These Readers are being fairly well taken up and will form an excellent supplement to the books already in use.

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Corps. All the teachers of the aided schools (excepting two who were absent on account of sickness), teachers from several of the private schools, and some members of the general public, attended the lectures regularly and attentively. As both lecturers were fully cognizant of the sanitary condition of the Island, the lectures were given mainly from that point of view. Each person attending the lectures was supplied (free of charge) with a copy of the outline scheme for teaching hygiene and temperance recently issued by the English Board of Education; and as Dr. Wanhill's lectures were amply illustrated by diagrams and tables, they seemed to awaken much interest among his hearers. As regards general results, these lectures have been successful in bringing vividly before the minds of the teachers the state of things surrounding them in their homes and school-rooms, the necessity of using care and ordinary preventions against disease, and the desirability of receiving further and fuller information respecting this important subject. No examination was held at the end of the course, but instructions have been given to the teachers of the aided schools to carry out in their daily school lives the rules given them respecting proper ventilations of their school-rooms, the proper closing of the doors and traps of the school-privies, &c., and every endeavour is being used to see that these instructions are carried out. The Governor states that the new Board of Education entered on their duties on the 1st of May and that he has requested them to endeavour, so far as may be practicable, with the funds at their disposal, to encourage the teaching of hygiene in the aided schools of the Colony.

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In October, 1907, the Board decided as follows:-

(1) That a course of five lectures on hygiene be given by Doctors Conyers- Herring and Higinbothom and Surgeon-Captain Emerson, R.A.M.C., on Saturdays in the months of October, November, and December, 1907, in the City Hall, Hamilton, if permission can be obtained to use that hall (the charge to be £2 for each lecture).

(2) That the lectures be open to the public, and that teachers be especially

invited.

(3) That the Board will expect the teachers of the aided schools to attend the lectures, as the subject of hygiene has now become a part of the course of instruction in such schools.

(4) That the usual payments for travelling expenses be made to those teachers

of the aided schools who live at a distance from Hamilton.

The Board also decided that the Inspector of Schools be requested to make the necessary arrangements for the lectures.

BRITISH GUIANA.

A sum of $260 was included in the Estimates of Expenditure for 1908-9, in order to admit of arrangements being made for lectures to be given by means of models, diagrams, and photographs, to the teachers in Georgetown and New Amsterdam. The present arrangement is only tentative, and should lead to a more comprehensive system of instruction if experience shows that the lectures now to be given assist materially in the proper teaching of hygiene.

LEEWARD ISLANDS.-ANTIGUA.

It has been decided that the consideration of the further action which should be taken with regard to the teaching of the rudiments of hygiene shall be postponed until the completion by the Inspector of Schools and the Science Master at the Antigua Grammar School of a text-book suitable to the requirements of the pupils who attend the primary schools.

Bermuda.

In November, 1906, a course of six lectures on hygiene was given by Dr. Harvey, Medical Officer of Health, and Surgeon-Captain Wanhill, Royal Army Medical

TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.

Copies of the pamphlet "How to keep Healthy," prepared by the Government

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