TO BE ADMITTED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 20, 24 January 1936, Page 9

TO BE ADMITTED.

FIVE-YEAR-OLDS. WHEN SCHOOLS REOPEN. ACCOMMODATION" . PROBLEM. 11 (By Telegraph.— Own Correspondent.) r WELLINGTON, this day. 3 It was announced to-day by the i I Minister of Education, the Hon. P. ; | Eraser, that preparations are being made i by the State education authorities for r the admittance of five-year-old children to public schools and native schools when these reopen after the summer holidays. 1 "Inquiries made show that the num- . bers to be accommodated in the schools will not in general be equal to the numbers attending before the live-year-olds were excluded," said the Minister s in a statement. "In some few cases, owing to the shifting of population. L school accommodation may be inadequate, but as these cases will occur ° mainly in the largest towns it will I probably be found possible to make suit- [ able provision either by hiring halls , pending the erection of additional school ' buildings, or by adjusting the boundaries ' of school districts. , "If in any district it is not found possible to admit all the children of five who apply, then the youngest applicants will be excluded and admitted from . time -to time according to age as circumstances permit. "It is not anticipated tlmt there will bo a serious shortage of teachers during at least the first half-year. The Government has no doubt that teachers generally will co-operate in every possible way to make the return of five-year-olds as easy as possible, even to the extent of putting up with some temporary inconvenience" due to the shortage of stair and make-shift accommodation. "In view of probable sudden changes in the rolls, it has been decided that the grades of schools shall be determined for the year 1930 on the basis of 95 per cent of the roll on March 31 in all cases where the grade so determined is higher than it would be if fixed in accordance with the present regulations. "It is understood of course, that the attendance of five-year-old children at the primary schools is optional. The compulsory ago remains at seven as hitherto. The question of the attendance or non-attendance of the five-year-old children to whom the schools will be reopened is a matter entirely for the judgment and discretion of parents."