FREE TEXTBOOK SCHEME

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28700, 25 September 1958, Page 9

FREE TEXTBOOK SCHEME

Minister Describes Operation flVew Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 24. When the Labour Government took the first steps to give free textbooks to schools a number of head masters had tried to sell it books that were out of date, the Minister of Education (Mr Skoglund) told the conference on technical education today. Thpse head masters had let education down, he said. “I thought those of us in education were moved by the very highest ideals and were working for the good of the young. Some evidently were not,” said Mr Skoglund. Mr Skoglund said 99.9 per cent, of the head masters had put in correct returns, but one head master had tried to sell books that were long out of date, and there were cases where he felt the person putting in returns was rather letting education down. The Government would be buying the textbooks from the schools for what the schools had paid for them. A deposit of £1 would be paid by all students, and would be returned when they returned the books. Where necessary the Government would arrange for shelving to be put in, up to 25ft, he said. In the Estimates, £25,000 had been allowed for this. It was hot the Government’s intention to do anything more than this in the way of administrative assistance this coming year. Reports of the working of the scheme would be studied at the year’s end, before further action was taken, he said.