Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 35, Series 1902.-Appointment of Clerks. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, The following decision in reference to the examination of Filipino clerks for division superintendents is hereby promulgated for the information of all division superintendents concerned. F. H. EVANS, Deputy Division Superintendent Schools: SAN FERNANDO DE UNION, October 30, 1902. Re Circular No. 33, inquire if Mr. Flores, who is desired as clerk to division superintendent, may take civil-service examination at San Fernando de Union. [First indorsement.] BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Respectfully referred to the Philippine civil-service board, Manila, P. I., for information on the subject mentioned herein. Several division superintendents have reported that it was possible to secure Filipino assistants for the clerical work in the smaller divisions, and information is desired whether it is possible to provide an examination for such candidates, inasmuch as these positions are provincial positions and the candidates mentioned are residents of these provinces, and, being on the field, their services can be secured at a more favorable figure than by appointment from the general register. FRED W. ATKINSON, General Superintendent. [Second indorsement.] PHILIPPINE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD, Respectfully returned to the general superintendent of education. It is desirable that as many Filipinos as possible be appointed to clerkships. This is contemplated by section 19 of the civil-service act. All applicants for clerkships under division superintendents should apply to provincial examining committees for form of application and information relating to examinations. Upon receipt of information that applications have been filed arrangements will be made immediately in each instance for examination. It is the purpose of this board to fill vacancies in each province by eligibles in the province in which the work is to be performed. W. S. WASHBURN, Chairman. Provincial examining committees exist in all provinces not within easy reach of Manila, such examining committee consisting of the treasurer as chairman, the governor, and the secretary of the province, and in some cases also of the high school principal or teacher in the province. It is thus possible to make arrangements for the prompt examination of a certain person for a certain position, instead of being forced to make selection from the highest of three eligibles on the list resulting from a general examination. FRED W. ATKINSON, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 1, Series 1903-Printing Apprentices. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Manila, P. I., January 9, 1902. The following communication was sent on July 12, 1902, to the division superintendents of schools then in service: SIR: The department of the trade school devoted to teaching the art of printing and bookbinding will be maintained in connection with the public printing office, which is now in operation in Manila. This office is very well equipped with modern machinery and appliances, and it will be possible for boys to obtain here a thorough knowledge of printing. We are prepared to take about 20 boys, to give them instruction, and, if they show the requisite ability and character, to offer the best of them employment in the public printing office after they shall have acquired the requisite knowledge and skill. It is essential that the boys should be trustworthy, in good health, and willing to learn to work. It is desirable that in entering upon this instruction they should be between 14 and 20 years of age. After looking over the field under your jurisdiction, I shall be glad if you will nominate one or two candidates. As soon as they shall have acquired sufficient knowledge and skill to become useful, they will be paid what their work is worth. Very respectfully, BERNARD MOSES, Secretary of Public Instruction. On December 16 Commissioner Moses stated that it had been found that the most desirable boys living in the provinces were unable to support themselves in Manila during the period of their apprenticeship. The following action was thereupon taken by the Philippine Commission: On motion, Resolved, That hereafter apprentices employed in the bureau of public printing shall be allowed, in the discretion of the public printer, not exceeding 15 pesos per month during the period of their apprenticeship. The committee on appropriations is authorized to introduce into the next appropriation bill the sum of 1,200 pesos for the payment of such apprentices. In making nominations under the provisions of this circular and resolution, care should be taken to select those boys who will render the best service to the Government after learning their trade. E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 2, Series 1903-St. Louis Exhibit. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Manila, P. I., January 18, 1903. It is the desire of the department that the work of education in these islands should have a satisfactory exhibit at the St. Louis Exposition. Each division superintendent will therefore make, personally or through his teachers, a collection of the best examination papers, special papers, map drawing, art work, written music, etc., for the exhibit. Complete plans are being formulated and additional instructions will be sent out within a short time. E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 3, Series 1903-Ladron Expeditions. You will at once send the following instructions to all teachers within your division: Teachers are on no account to take any part in expeditions against ladrones, or others, under penalty of immediate dismissal from the service. Teachers should confine themselves exclusively to the work for which they were engaged, and should only have recourse to arms in their own defense in case of imminent personal danger. The duty of pursuing ladrones and preserving the public order has been confided to peace officers and the constabulary, and its performance should be left to them without interference on the part of the educational department. JAMES F. SMITH, Secretary of Public Instruction. The instructions contained in the above paragraph must be rigidly followed. E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 4, Series 1903-Correspondence. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, The attention of division superintendents is respectfully called to the following letter addressed to this office by the honorable the secretary of public instruction. Superintendents are requested to call the attention of the teachers to this matter. "I beg to call your attention to the fact that the custom of some division superintendents and teachers of sending communications direct to this office causes considerable delay in the transaction of business by reason of the necessity of indorsing such communications back to the general superintendent or the division superintendents for further information, or for such action as may be deemed proper. By sending communications direct to this office the division superintendents deprive the general superintendent of the opportunity to make such recommendation or statement as he may desire to make concerning the matter submitted to this office for determination, and the same may be said with regard to communications sent by teachers direct to the general superintendent rather than through the division superintendents, who should be given a fair opportunity to express their opinions on subjects affecting their particular divisions. "In case of an emergency, of course, a communication may be sent direct to the office from which action is expected, but in all such cases a copy of the communication should be sent by the writer to his immediate superior. To the end that all communications except as above indicated shall hereafter be sent through regular channels, I have the honor to recommend that a circular letter to this effect be sent to all division superintendents and teachers." Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 5, Series 1903—Resignations, Leaves of Absence. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, The secretary of public instruction has approved the following, in re teachers' terms of service: Case I-Does the two-year term of service for teachers begin on the date of contract, date of leaving home, or the date on which the teacher reports in Manila for work? Decision. The two-year term of service begins on the date the teacher reports in Manila for work. Case II.-There are a good many teachers who have served practically two years and are obliged to leave the service or have extension of long vacation period for a visit in the United States. Decision. Such teacher shall be permitted to go to the United States at the beginning of long vacation, with regular vacation pay, and shall have extension of time, not to exceed two months, without pay; provided, first, that the general superintendent may grant the extra time without pay just prior to the long vacation instead of after the vacation, if, in his judgment, it is for the benefit of the bureau of education to do so; provided, second, that all vacation pay in excess of amount due the teacher on the last day of school taught this year shall be withheld until his return to the islands; provided, third, that all teachers availing themselves of this opportunity to visit the United States be required to sign a contract in the office of the general superintendent before leaving for the States, to remain in the service two years after their return to the islands, unless prevented by sickness. The bureau of education will request for such teachers transportation on United States transports, but will not hold itself in any way responsible for securing such transportation. Case III.-Teachers whose two years expire within the following school year. Decisions.-(1) Teachers who do not wish to remain two full years will be required to resign at the end of this school term, with vacation pay proportional to the term of service, to be determined by the general superintendent; transportation will be requested to San Francisco. (2) Teachers who do not resign at the end of this school term, but do resign at the end of the three months' vacation-hold them ineligible for civil-service examination and deny them transportation to San Francisco. (3) Teachers who desire to remain full two years and no more-resignation to take effect on the last day of school taught, and transportation requested to San Francisco; provided two months' notice be given of proposed resignation to the general superintendent through the local superintendent. Very truly, yours, E. B. BYRAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 5a, Series 1903—Resignations, Conventions. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, With reference to the letter recently sent out bearing upon the resignation of teachers at the close of this school term or at the end of two full years of service in the islands, I have the honor to request division superintendents to ascertain as near as possible how many of their teachers desire to leave the department, and when they desire to do so. At the earliest possible date please send to this office the names of such teachers and whatever data you may have which will assist me in determining what is due each teacher at the time of resignation. I will take this opportunity to announce to superintendents that there will be a meeting of division superintendents in the city of Manila for one week, the opening session to be at 9 o'clock Monday morning, March 23, at the Escuela Municipal, Calle Victoria, Intramuros. All superintendents are requested to leave their stations in time to be present at the opening session of this meeting. With the greatest hopes that our coming together will result in great good, I am, Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 6, Series 1903—Rizal Subscriptions. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Please forward to this office at your earliest convenience all funds that have been collected for the Rizal subscription. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents and Teachers, No. 6a, Series 1903—Teachers' Journal. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, With reference to the publication of a teachers' journal, the secretary of public instruction thinks it inadvisable at the present time to establish an educational journal, but any matter which you may desire to publish may be sent to the general superintendent, to be forwarded, with his recommendation, to the secretary of public instruction, who, in accordance with the law, may, in his discretion, authorize its publication. E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Very truly, yours, Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 6b, Series 1903-Deceased Teachers. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, In case of the death of an American teacher in your division it is desired that you fill in the inclosed blank report and forward it immediately to this office. The statement should be accompanied by the attending physician's certificate. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular to Division Superintendents, No. 7, Series 1903-Vacation Normal Institutes. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Manila, P. I., February 17, 1903. If you have not already made definite recommendation to this office as to vacation and normal institute dates in your division for the coming year, please do so by wire at once. It is understood that vacation periods amounting to fourteen weeks a year, inclusive of the holiday period, are allowed. The exact dates will be determined by local conditions. The institute may be held during either the first or the last part of the long vacation. In explanation of the decision under Case II in circular No. 5, series 1903, it is understood that every teacher who comes under this rule, whether he returns to the islands or not, shall receive vacation pay "due" him; that is, the pay for the vacation period which will complete a total of fourteen weeks' leave for the year. Under normal conditions a teacher will receive pay for the twelve weeks following the close of school. In case he does not return to the service, vouchers and checks will be forwarded to the States. E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Very truly, yours, Circular to Division Superintendents and Teachers, No. 8, Series 1903. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Manila, February 24, 1903. I. Section 16 of Act 74 explicitly states that teachers shall not teach or criticise the doctrines of any church, religious sect, or denomination, and also explicitly sets forth the conditions under which religious instruction can be given by priest, minister, or religious teacher for one-half hour three times a week. It seems that in a few cases teachers have failed to strictly obey the letter of this law. It is understood, of course, that there is no restriction whatever upon anyone attending the church of his preference. This law has nothing to do with church affiliation or church attendance. While we have certain individual rights which must not be ignored, we likewise have certain social and institutional duties and responsibilities that are equally imperative, and it is to the teacher as a social factor that this law of noninterference applies. The general superintendent will expect full compliance with this law by Protestant and Catholic alike. Failure in such compliance will be considered sufficient ground for immediate dismissal. II. Because of our great distance from the States, and the prevailing conditions here being so different from conditions there, it is very difficult for home people to correctly understand many things that we may be disposed to say to them in letters. They get a wrong impression, talk matters over very freely, and frequently allow letters to be published, thus multiplying the wrong impression many times. Recently I have had my attention called to two cases of this kind, which have resulted in great embarrassment to the authors of the letters and considerable annoyance to the Civil Commission and this office. Teachers are requested to exercise such care as the situation demands, both in their statements and by special direction to correspondents that all private communications shall be treated as such. Any misuse of matter sent to the States will be treated as if authorized by the party sending it. III. No employee of the bureau of education shall, without the consent of the general superintendent of education, engage in any trade, business, or occupation except that for which he is employed. Failure on the part of any employee of the bureau to comply with this injunction may be considered just cause for dismissal. Very truly, yours, E. B. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular Telegram to Division Superintendents, No. 8a, Series 1903. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Property accounts of all teachers should be adjusted before long vacation. Require teachers to make full report to you on supplies. Take personal check on articles in doubtful cases. Call for boards of survey on missing nonexpendable property. BRYAN, General Superintendent. Circular Telegram to Division Superintendents, No. 8b, Series 1903. BUREAU OF EDUCATION, Manila, P. I., March 9, 1903. Transportation to States available early in April. Wire careful statement number in your division going home then. How many of these go on leave of absence? BRYAN, General Superintendent. WAR 1903-VOL 7—54 |