Rapid Increase Of Pupils

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29897, 10 August 1962, Page 12

Rapid Increase Of Pupils

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, Aug. 9. New Zealand’s State school roll has leaped from 265,822 pupils to 487,677 in the last 15 years, states the annual report of the Minister of Education, tabled today in Parliament. The primary school roll last year w-as 377.514 and the secondary roll 110.163. Postprimary rolls have doubled in the last nine years, and part-time students in day and evening classes have more than trebled in 15 years. Building expenditure—including land, furniture and equipment 5- increased last

year to more than £lO million. A total of 814 classrooms were built.

More than 20 new primary schools were completed during the year Two intermediate schools were established, and four district high schools were lifted to full post-prim-ary status.

At the beginning of 1961 there were 10.604 teachers in State primary and intermediate schools, the report states About 200 of them were relieving teachers. Later the general staffing position had deteriorated, and special measures helped to keep the schools staffed.

The post-primary roll increase of 10,000 last year had required nearly 500 additional teachers. In September, 122 positions were unfilled. The report says it would be “blinking the facts not to recognise that inadequate and irregular staffing had very

unhappy effects on some primary schools. “However, the emphasis on shortage of staff tended to obscure some solid achievements. Large numbers of schools had no major staffing worries.

“A great many schools can look back with real satisfaction at programmes that helped in varying degrees to improve the quality of primary education.” The report says that senior technical schools continue to experience difficulty in recruiting suitably qualified and experienced teachers, especially for work at the technician level.

“The rapid and continued expansion of the demand for technical education gives rise to severe pressure on accommodation that cannot be effectively met in the longterm without a substantial investment in new buildings'