School Inquiry Recommended

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30841, 28 August 1965, Page 14

School Inquiry Recommended

A commission to investigate the administration of post-primary schools was unanimously recommended by the conference of the New Zealand Secondary School Boards’ Association yesterday in Christchurch.

Delegates found in discus sion that every area tended to consider its own system ideal but they were impressed that administration cost some schools up to 40 per cent of the incidental grant, whereas others took 12 per cent or less. Schemes described ranged from the Christchurch Secondary Schools’ Council, which provides office service for about 15 schools, and a similar smaller arrangement in Wellington to the arrangements in Otago-Southland, where the education board serves a number of high schools, some of them hundreds of miles from the centre. The chief difficulties and high expenditures seemed to exist where school principals acted as secretaries and did not have the time or experience to exercise continuous cost control. The “cluster plan” was highly commended by all who used it and they backed their arguments by giving details of their finances.

Assistance The president (Mr O. Connibear) said the Minister of Education (Mr Kinsella) had asked the conference to seek economies in administration and had promised that any schemes for the Education Department to assist in administration would not interfere with the autonomy of boards. The association must co-operate.

In discussion some delegates said it had been proved possible for one board to administer several high schools in smaller centres and for a central office to serve many with individual boards, as in Christchurch. Those who used primary school education boards for office and architectural services said they had no complaint. Indeed, there were advantages in this liaison be-

•tween both levels of education. Because the conference felt that the association should not lose any initiative, it decided that the matter should be referred urgently to its new regional conferences in the hope that agreement might eliminate the need for an independent commission. There was some argument about the association’s own administration expenses when the executive proposed an increase in the annual subscription for each board from sgns to 13gns. A few delegates claimed that some boards would resign but most said the association must have more funds to be effective. The increase was approved. The next national conference will be held in Wellington, but it will have only delegates from each of the five regions.