NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27928, 27 March 1956, Page 16

NEW SCHOOL BUILDINGS

£6,500,000 PLAN APPROVED

DETAILS ANNOUNCED BY MR ALGIE

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, March 26.

The Government has approved a £6.5000,000 programme for education buildings for the coming financial year. The Minister of Education (Mr R. M. Algie) said this morning that the programme included new buildings for every level of education and for every part of the country.

The annual school building programme is drawn up by the Department of Education, acting in co-opera-tion with the education boards and other educational authorities.

Mr Algie said this morning that included in the programme just approved were 76 new primary and district high schools, 13 new intermediate schools. 11 new post-primary schools, and two new major university buildings—the Dental School at Otago University and the School of Engineering at Canterbury University College. “In addition, approval has been given for the building of a new school for the deaf at Kelston, Auckland, and for the provision of manual training facilities at 22 primary and district high schols, and for additions to 39 post-primary schools and to 127 primary and district high schools,” Mr Algie said.

“Two new children’s homes and seven new family homes are to be built for the Child Welfare Division. A particularly gratifying part of the programme for the next financial year is the provision for 89 houses for teachers in rural areas.” Last year a record number of 73 teachers’ houses was built, and the further increase’ of

this number was evidence of the vigour with which the Government was pressing forward with its teachers' housing policy, said Mr Algie. The total programme provided for the building of the record number of 1339 classrooms in primary, intermediate, district high, and post-primary schools.

The building programme had been approved earlier than in any previous year, he said.