ANNUAL REPORT OF CITY SCHOOLS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 91, 18 April 1922, Page 6

ANNUAL REPORT OF CITY SCHOOLS.

* It is stated in tne annual report of the City Schools Committee, to he presented at tbe meeting on Monday night, that the attendance of the three city schools at the end of February last was lSfit_ a higher total than that recorded at any previous period. In spite of the heavy handicap imposed by the overcrowding and the dingy aud depressing surrounding- of the schools, the inspectors' report showed that the standard of tuition during the year had been very- good. The committee expresses its appreciation of the efforts of the teaching staffs in coping with the existing difficulties. During the past year an order-in-council was passed which made it Illegal for school committees to supply other than a few items of stationery for -the use of scholars, except under conditions which the committee could not comply with. " The committee held that all school material should be provided free; otherwise tbe term "free education" to them was meaningless. The present practice, in the opinion of the committee, imposed an unfair tax upon parents, jjartlcularly on the poorer ones with large families. At the close of the financial year the committee had a credit balance of over £Zi, and of this sum £53 was allocated for expenditure on stationery to be distributed free to the children thus doing all that was possible nnder the existing law.