RAISING OF SCHOOL AGE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20550, 19 May 1932, Page 5

RAISING OF SCHOOL AGE.

EFFECT DISCUSSED. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TBLEGHAM.) WELLINGTON, May 18. The effect of the raising of the school ago was discussed at to-day's meeting of the .Education Board. Mr A. C. Blake said that grades would be lowered and the transfer ot teachers would cause a dislocation. The capitation grants to school committees would be affected, and it was up to the Board to take steps to minimise the dislocation which was bound to occur. Children, he thought, should be kept longer at school, and to meet this a seventh standard could be established. Otherwise it looked as if teachers would be thrown out of work and tlie constant transference of teachers would dislocate tho work in the schools, fie suggested that U"ie Board should take stock the situation and do something to minimise tho trouble before it was too late. The chairman (Mr T. Forsyth) .saitl that they wero up in the clouds, not (mowing the effect of the .change. Obvionslv the Board would suffer by the change, as well as the school committees; It was true that legislation had been passed, but they did M>t know for certain that it would he onrried out, no instructions having h-e:i received on. the subject. Tho subject was then aHo-Vt.l to drop, pending further consideration !>tthe 'Board's next meeting. At its annual meeting, held in Wellington last week, the New Zeahnd Educational Institute passed the iollowing resolution on the raising t.f the ago of" admission to school from fue to six years:— .... , . 'That this annual meeting ot the New Zealand Educational Institute regrets tho decision of the Government to exclude the five-year-olds from the schools believing: (a) "That our present modern infant departments cater fully for the physical and mental requirements of young children. (b) "That the resulting redistribution of staffs will cause, for many vears, grave disorganisation of .schools, to tiro detriment of the childien. (c) "That the considerable reductions of staffs of the schools will add to the present depressed econoijuc conditions and . ". (2), "Directs the uieoming executive to give careful consideration to the effects of the exclusion of the' five-year-olds with a view to submitting evidence to the Minister in support of a claim for the repeal of the clause in the Act concerned."