$20m Building Plans For School Year

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31781, 11 September 1968, Page 28

$20m Building Plans For School Year

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 10. Some 520,220,000 was to be spent on the 1968-69 school building programme, and §10,100,000 of it would be administered by education boards, the Minister of Education (Mr Kinsella) said today.

The projects included 23 primary schools and 17 intermediate schools which, with additions to existing schools, would provide 899 new classrooms. Mr Kinsella said. The number of classrooms included replacements for sub-standard and temporary rooms. This meant a net gain of 657 primary and intermediate classrooms.

A place had also been found in this year’s programme for subsidies on assembly halls at 21 primary schools. Four new secondary schools were planned which, with additional rooms at existing schools, would provide 547 new classrooms.

Replacements amounted to 211 rooms in secondaryschools, giving a net gain of 336.

I Assembly halls were to be built at three existing secondI ary schools and provision was [also made for a number of gymnasium subsidies. Replacements, extensions and improvements to a number of school hostels were also planned. Major projects in the child welfare sector were new girls' homes in Auckland and Hamilton, a new girls’ training centre in Auckland, extensions to existing special schools, and new family homes in various centres.

A new school for maladjusted children was to be established at the McKenzie Residential School, near Christchurch. “Separate programmes have been provided for universities, technical institutes and teachers’ colleges,” Mr Kinsella said.