MEDICAL EXAMINATION

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 101, 29 April 1913, Page 8

MEDICAL EXAMINATION

IK PUBLIC SCHOOLS. CONDEMNED BY SCHOOLMASTER. Iteforencp was made at a meeting of the parents interested in the Mount Eden and the Maungawhmi school* last night to the fact that in addition to the many duties that now devolve upon the teacher in the public school, he had been required to act as a statistician for the Health Department.' Mr W. \V. Hill, headmaster of the Mount Eden school, who was present at the meeting at the invitation of the chairman (Mr W. Burrows) outlined the difficult task which confronted the principal when he attempted to secure such particulars as were required under the now regulations. Mr Hill said that he wished to make it quite clear at the outset that teachers as a whole were entirely in accord with a system of medical inspection for the children in the schools provided that the work was carried out by experts and not by novices. It was realised that some such examination for a section of the scholars would be of very material assistance to the teachers. But it was not fair to the teacher or to the scholar to ask that the examination should be carried out by the teachers, the majority of whom felt that so important s> work should be undertaken only by qualified doctors, assisted by nurses. '"When Dr Cawkwell visited the school he did excellent work," said Mr Hill, "yet it was found that even with the assistance of a portion of the staff he was not able to deal with more than twenty children in a. day. How then." be asked, "could, he possibly be expected (with the assistance of the headmistress for the girls) to make the thorough examination required of the 830 children on the roll?" The card supplied by the Health Department asked, among other things, for particulars of each child's weight (in kilometres), height (in centimetres), chest measurement, sight, teeth, and glands. A footnote to the card added that the weight and height were to be taken with the child'e boots off. The card had also to be sent to the child's parents for information about the illnesses suffered by the pupil at any time. On behalf of the meeting the chairman thanked Mr Hill for bis attendance and his remarks. At the meeting of householders in the City Schools district, the retiring chairman of committee (Mr F. E. N. Gaudin) made reference briefly to the same thing. As a parent, Mr Gaudin explained, he took no personal exception to the medical inspection of school children. It was no doubt an excellent thing. But when, as at present administered, medical inspection meant taking tip the time of teachers for six weeks of the school year. the matter was one that required Very serione consideration.