CARRYING ON.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18343, 28 March 1925, Page 16

CARRYING ON.

CORRESPONDENCE LESSONS FOR CHILDREN.

The emergency educational scheme continues to work smoothly and to produce good results. In a number of the larger schools, as many as 90 per cent, of the children are responding with work. The scheme originated in Canterbury. It was submitted to the Education Department and taken up by the Minister, who obtained a small grant to_ defray lho cost of postage involved in the carrying out of the scheme. Apparently he did not anticipate that the schools would be closed for such a lengthy period, and the secretary of the Canterburv Education Board (Mr C. Kirk) stated to a reporter yesterday that the nioncv available will be hardly suflieient'to meet all the expenses that will necessarily be incurred. When it first became obvious that the schools would not be able to resume for a considerable time, the Canterbury Board considered the question of employing the teachers in instructing the pupils in any other feasible way. It was suggested at si Board meetiug that tho newspapers offered the best scope in this direction. At .the time the teachers were assembled for a "refresher course," and the proposal was submitted to them. They immediately saw its possibilities, and a committee of headmasters was appointed to draw up assignments of work for publication in the newspapers every week. The scheme Las now been in operation for four weeks, and reports indicate that the work is going on very satisfactorily indeed. The working of the scheme is much the same in tho country districts as in the cities, with the exception that i$ the country some of the teachers, where thcro is no parental objection, visit the children's homes to give necessary instruction in certain cases._ Some of the country people are anxious that tho teacher should keep in personal touch with the pupils; on the other hand, there are parents who object very strongly to a teacher-coming from a big city such as Christchurch, and visiting their homes. The four of infection appears to be strong where some of the country pcople are concerned. Tho year's work is much behind already, and the deficiency will liavo to be made up in some way. Longer hours or the cutting down of holidays is : impracticable, and the inspectors will probably have to adjudge the year's work on a lower standard. A case was brought under the notice ■ of a representative of "The Press" recently in which a boy had sent in two sets of work, and almost immediately *" after posting the papers he was infected and declared a "positive" case. At the actual time of forwarding his work to tho teachers it was not known that tho boy had the disease. His work was handled by the teachers who, it appears, are therefore exposed to considerable risk. This risk is one that cannot be avoidod, but Mr Kirk stated yesferday tbtat the papers are kept separate, and everything possible is : done to minimise the danger of infection. Papers aro not posted back to pupils, excepting in special cases where n child is quite on the wrong track. It is understood that in a few cases, the Timaru High School in particular, the papers are fumigated before being handled by the teachers, but this would bo a difficult precaution to carry out with all the schools. In any case, the teachers are thus exposed to any disease, other than infantile paralysis, that might bo going about. * Advice was received by the Canterbury Education Board yesterday that no ■schools would bo re-opened, before April lith.