HIGHER SCHOOL AGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 135, 9 June 1932, Page 3

HIGHER SCHOOL AGE.

CHILD NOT PENALISED. DEPARTMENT'S FIGURES. NEW POLICY DKI'EXDKI). Children who do not begin their schooling- at tile early age of four ami live years lose nothing iu lite way of learning or good health. In fact, they are better oft' if t'hey arc not rushed into the classroom. These opinions, at any rate, arc held by the Hon. R. Masters, Minister of Education. In opening the new Junior High School at Otahulm yesterday afternoon Mr. Masters made reference to the raising of the school age. The Department, he said, had arrived at sonic very interesting ligures by analysing the limes taken by 13,000 children to pass their proficiency examination. '.rite ligures showed tiiat the average time taken by children beginning school at. four years was eight years eleven months, and that occupied by children starting school at five years was eight years one month. The average times taken bv children beginning their tuition at six, seven and eight years were seven years .>ix months, seven years two months and six years seven months respectively. In view of those figures it did not appear that, educationally, the children of Now Zealand were going to sull'cr one iota from the raising of the school age. From tlio health point of view, said Mr. Masters, nine out. of every ten medical men would say that the children would be all the better oil by starting school until six.

The Minister raised a laugh when he said that quite a number of ladies had spoken to him in a not very kind way concerning the raising of the school age. In nine cases out of ten, ho said, when he had given the opinion that the child would in no way suffer, the parents' reply had been "No, but he is such a little nuisance at home." Mr. Masters said that he honestly believed that that was the cause of many of the complaints. In normal times, said the Minister, 500 teachers retired, cach year. In regard to the grading of schools no alterations had been made this year, and there would bo very few next year. It was not his intention to put any teachers into training colleges next year. Thus it did not appear that the change of Departmental policy regarding the school age would be unsatisfactory from the teachers' point of view.