Name: Department of Public Instruction
Time: 1875 - 1957
Epoch: Late 19th Century
Category: Educational Centre (Queensland Government Department)
Institution Category: Education
Institution Group: Combined Levels
Coordinates: -27.4723883333333, 153.024778333333
Street Address: Department of Public Instruction, George Street, Brisbane City
Suburb: Brisbane City (CBD)
Sector: State
Local Study Area: Spring Hill-CBD-Fortitude Valley-New Farm (Inner City)
Study Stage: MBNH Stage 9 Local Study Areas
In 1848 the Governor of New South Wales, Charles Augustus FitzRoy, appointed a Board of National Education to undertake the task of creating government schools similar to the National Schools in Ireland. Four National schools were established in Queensland: Warwick (opened in 1850), Drayton (opened in 1851), Brisbane Boys and Brisbane Girls (both opened in 1860). In 1859, for the separated colony, a Board of General Education combined the functions of the National and Denominational Boards of New South Wales, and acquired the four National schools. In 1862 a new building, designated the Normal School was erected within the grounds of the Brisbane Boys and Brisbane Girls Primary Schools, and thereafter those schools were usually referred to as the Brisbane Normal Boys School and the Brisbane Normal Girls Primary School. The most important function of the Normal School was that of a training centre where pupil-teachers could see the best and most efficient teaching methods in operation. In 1869 the Board provided provisional schools. The State Education Act of 1875 made primary education for children aged from 6 to 12 compulsory and a Department of Public Instruction was established to administer the Act.
Geographic Description 1: Inside The Green Belt
Geographic Description 2: Brisbane River
Geographic Description 3: Flood Plains (Major); High River Banks (still floods); Ridgeline (Slopes off Wickham Tce)
Fitzgerald, Ross; Megarrity, Lyndon; Symons, David. Made in Queensland : a New History, Special Q150 commemorative edition, University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, Qld, 2009.
Logan, Greg. Education Regions in Queensland: Towards a Philosophy and Practice, 1937-1988. Policy and Information Services Branch, Division of Planning and Special Programs, Dept. of Education, Brisbane Qld, 1988.
Logan, Greg; Clarke. State Education in Queensland: a Brief History, Policy and Information Services Branch, Department of Education, Brisbane, 1984.
External view of the Department of Public Instruction Rail Dental Clinic Car carriage and motor wagon, Roma Street, Brisbane. Archive: Queensland State Archive. [https://www.flickr.com/photos/queenslandstatearchives/42194947912]
