SHORT-STAFFED SCHOOLS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29250, 7 July 1960, Page 9

SHORT-STAFFED SCHOOLS

“Children Entitled To Attend”

(New Zeaiana Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 6.

The Educational Institute could not possibly support the action of any of its members in sending home a child because there were not enough teachers, said a spokesman for the institute today. “There is simply no support We could give any headmaster or branch in sending children home, because they would be acting illegally. However, I don’t think any headmaster would normally do that,” he said. The Education Act declared that children must attend school between ages of seven and 15 years and may attend at the age of five, but nobody, including an education board, had the right to turn away children for ahy reason other than those given specifically by the act. V The institute had always taken the view that no matter how numerically weak teachers were, they would have to do the best they could, and that all children were entitled to attend school. The situation was likely to be righted before too long a time had passed. The present “peculiar situation” was brought about to some extent by the introduction of a two-year country service clause for assistants’ positions in country schools. There had been a significant movement to. these positions, particularly by women. "Many of these schools had been without an assistant for years. So it seems there has been merely a transfer for the shortage from some country areas to the cities,” said the spokesman.