ASSEMBLY HALLS FOR SCHOOLS

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27593, 25 February 1955, Page 10

ASSEMBLY HALLS FOR SCHOOLS

Building To Be Begun Soon

CABINET DECISION ANNOUNCED <lNew Zealand Pres* . WELLINGTON, February 24. The Government proposed to resume the construction of assembly halls at post-primary and intermediate schools, said fiie Minister of Education (Mr R. M. Algie) today. Investigations overseas by three senior departmental officers had resulted in a plan to build future post-primary schools with assembly halls, with a total floor space no greater than that formerly needed for schools without halls, he said. This still left him with the problem of existing post-primary and intermediate schools that had no hall of any kind, said Mr Algie. "The Cabinet has given me authority to deal with these schools in an order of priority suggested to me by the department in consultation with the several boards that are directly interested." he said. "I hope that we will be in a position to tackle five or six halls a year in our effort to cancel this backlog." / Mr Algie said he thought it fair that priority should be given to schools where local citizens had already raised considerable sums toward the cost of an assembly hall. For primary schools, the Government would revert to its former policy of subsidising local assembly hall funds on a basis of £2 for £l. with a limit subsidy of £4OOO.

“I have always regarded an assembly hall as an integral and necessary part of i our post-primary and intermediate schools, and I am sure this has been the view of my colleagues,” said Mr Algie. They all regretted having to suspend for a time the building of assembly halls to catch up with an acute shortage of classrooms, said the Minister.