SUBSIDIES FOR SCHOOLS

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27988, 7 June 1956, Page 12

SUBSIDIES FOR SCHOOLS

“ ANOMALOUS ” SYSTEM CRITICISED PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS TO. COMMITTEES ; What he claimed to be anomalies in school finance were criticised by Mr •R. W. Taylor in his presidential address to the annual meeting of the Canterbury School Commfttees’ Association last evening. • ' The situation had arisen, he said, where a parent-teacher association raised all the extra funds required by a committee. Parents would want a big say in how the money was spent. Extreme cases had arisen of associations making representation directly to the authorities when they should have been made through committees. “If we are not careful the Minister of Education will conclude that school committees are becoming redundant, and the respect he has shown for our representations in the past will be lost.” Mr Taylor said. This situation arose largely from an unrealistic policy about subsidies, Mr Taylor said. Committees were confronted with the need to provide essential equipment for efficient teaching, administration, and cleaning of the schools. Certain items were subsidised £ for £, and, as they became school property, householders actually subsidised the Education Department. Pianos and Radios

Music was apparently an important subject, as every application for a teaching appointment included a question whether the teacher could play the piano but pianos were not provided by the department, which limited its subsidy to £llO, Mr Taylor said Post-primary schools were provided with pianos. Continued complaints were made about high labour costs and poor workmanship, btft cleaners and polishers were not standard school equipment. School broadcasts were given at considerable expense to the taxpayer, said Mr Taylor, but unless a committee found half the cost of a radio and extension speakers, pupils would not hear them. Secretaries were appointed in schools.,. Jjut not provided with typewriters: y'et, duplicating materials were the first item list of approved supplies A subsidy up to £lOO allowed on a film projector, no allowance was made for darkening the schoolroom. There was no subsidy on sports equipment. “In Canterbury, the amount on which subsidies are paid averages about £9OOO a year, but some of the items purchased could possibly be called luxuries.” said Mr Taylor.

The committee of a new school requiring all this equipment would need to raise anything up to £lOOO. For parents with families spread over primary, intermediate, and secondary schools, this was a big hurdle. Mr Taylor said. Loans Suggested k'' “The policy of having committees provide equipment in schools has been established too long to be altered at once,” Mr Taylor said. ‘‘l . suggest that, at a later meeting, we should consider making a request to the Education Department to advance money to committees who would make repayment at a fixed rate.”

Older schools might not now be so seriously affected, but the new ones must provide a great deal of equipment in a short time if the children were to obtain full benefit, said Mr Taylor. Though there might be some justification for the criticism of the subsidy system, it should not be totally condemned. said Mr S. J. Irwin, a life member, who is also chairman of the Canterbury Education Board. Officials of the New South Wales Education Department \yho had recently visited New Zealand found that much of the interest and attraction of Dominion schools arose from the support of contributors.

"Investigating accountants <of the Education Department haVe -recently examined school committee finances.” Mr Irwin said. "I understand that their report is very favourable to school committees, and that in the next few weeks you will hear good news about your finances.”