Frank Tate (educator)

Frank Tate CMG (18 June 1864 – 28 June 1939) was an Australian educationist who is best remembered for his efforts in expanding secondary education in Victoria, Australia.

Tate was born at Mopoke Gully, near Castlemaine, Victoria, the son of Aristides Franklin (usually called Henry) Tate, a storekeeper, and his wife Mary Bessy, née Lomas, both English born. Frank Tate was educated at the Castlemaine State School, the Old Model School, Melbourne, and the University of Melbourne (B.A., 1888; M.A., 1894). Tate entered the teachers' training college in 1883 and gained the trained teacher's certificate with first and second honours. His first charge was a small school near East Kew on the outskirts of Melbourne. He quickly made an impression as an able and stimulating young teacher and many students were sent to his school for teaching experience.

In 1889 Tate was appointed a junior lecturer in the training college and became much interested in teaching methods. At the end of 1893, following the great financial crisis, the college was closed, but Tate was given charge of classes in Melbourne for the training of pupil teachers. In 1895 after an Education Department reshuffle, Tate was appointed an inspector for the Charlton district, and spent four years inspecting its 136 schools and incidentally learning a great deal about the problems of small rural schools and their teachers. Tate became a well-known speaker at teachers' congresses and enhanced his reputation as an educationist when giving evidence before the technical education commission.

Tate was appointed principal of the Melbourne Training College when it was re-opened in February 1900, and vigorously set to work to make up as far as possible the ground lost while the college was closed. Tate kept the subject of English in his own hands, considering it to be the basic subject of education, and steadily brought before his students the opportunities for service to the community possessed by enlightened teachers. In March 1902 when it was announced that he had been appointed as the first director of education in Victoria he was only 38 years old. Many men of much longer service had been passed over, but it appears to have been generally recognised that he was the fit man for the position.

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