EDUCATION COSTS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 174, 7 May 1931, Page 6

EDUCATION COSTS.

POSITION IN ASHBURTON. TECHNICAL SCHOOL CLASSES. ANALYSIS BY PRINCIPAL. An interesting analysis of the costs of the educating primary school,, day school and evening classes at the Ashburton Technical School was presented to the Board of Managers this afternoon bv the Principal (Mr R. J. Thompson), who questioned figures published by the Canterbury Education Board. Mr Thompson's report on the matter was as follows:

"A city paper of April 18 set out a table allegedly giving the costs per pupil in primary schools, secondary schools, and Technical schools. The figures given are so remarkable as to appear out of all proportion to what would be expected. This Board has no means of checking the figures given. I have therefore drawn out the following costs of education in the Ashburton Technical School. From these it will be seen that the payment for salaries for the Technical pupils in the day school works out at approximately £lO 18s per annum and in the evening classes, approximately £4 Is, the average over daytime and evening pupils being £8 10s 6d instead of £2l 6s lid as given in the report. "If our figures are approximately correct, then those given by the Education Board are likely to do a great deal of harm to technical education. "Incidental expenses per pupil work out at: Day £2 3s Id and evening £1 0s 7d, making an average over all of £1 15s per student, as against £2 2s 8d given in the newspaper item. "Incidentals for pSrimary school pupils attending the Technical School work out at aj)proximatelyi 10s per student per annum and, if the incidentals paid directly to the school committees in this County were added, the total cost per pupil for incidentals would be nearer £1 than 9s lOd as given. It would appear that the heavy cost of manual training has been charged against technical education instead of that of the primary school. "Salaries paid to Ashburton Technical School in 1930:—£4272 9s 3d;less proportion debited to primary schools based on teaching hours of instructors £873; total £3399 9s 3d. Evening, overtime, £192 los. Less proportion debited to evening classes £345; £3054. Plus evening instructors' salaries £65 16s 3d; total £603 lis 3d.

"Number of day students 280. Cost of salaries per student, £lO 18s, as against £2l 6s lid quoted by the Canterbury Education Board. Number of evening pupils 149. Average cost of evening pupil per annum, £4 Is. That is, the cost per pupil in the Ashburton Technical School is almost exactly half that given as the cost for the Dominion.

"If evening students are taken into account, the cost per pupil in salaries would! be reduced to £8 10s 6d, namely, a total cost of £3658 for 429 pupils. "Incidentals £1064, less proportion debited to primary schools based on teaching hours £235; £829. Less proportion debited to evening £115; £714. Less proportion registrar and caretaker, M.T., £7B, less proportion registrar and caretaker, evening, £3B; £598.

"Cost per pupil in day classes £2 3s Id, cost per pupil in evening classes £1 0s 7d; average over day and evening classes £1 14s 7d for incidentals. Total cost manual training per pupil £1 18s 4d. The cost of incidentals tor manual training classes taught at the Technical School, Ashburton, is, as n«ar as can be ascertained, approximately 10s per pupil. This amount is in addition to the payments given to the Education Board and school committees."