EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 42, 19 February 1944, Page 4

EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES

THE return of the Auckland Teachers' Training College to its proper use, and the special efforts to provide accommodation for the flood of pupils requiring secondary education are welcome, and parents throughout the province will be thankful for Mr. Mason's prompt intervention at a critical time.* The restoration of a considerable portion of the college will result in reducing the enormous wastage which is going on in the Department through the fact that it is impossible, under existing conditions, to send young teachers into the schools adequately equipped for their life work. As a result only half value is being received for much of the annual education grant, and both children and teachers are suffering severely. This will be largely overcome when the college is restored., and Mr. Mason should see that the process of restoration, neither short nor easy, is speeded up to the greatest possible degree. The occupying Departments have no direct concern with education, they will minimise the inconvenience to themselves as much as possible, and one way is naturally to take their own time about moving out. Mr. Mason can provide the only stimulus, and all interested in education will hope that, now that he has gained his main point, he •will act with equal insistence in seeing that the decision is promptly put into effect Every day's delay is a day wasted. In Mr. Mason's view the crisis was not foreseeable; he will find few to agree with that when both of the factors which caused it were plain and could have been calculated months ago. However, he has acted, and for this first instalment of the reinstatement of the college Aucklanders are grateful.