Schools Given Extra s2m

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32383, 24 August 1970, Page 22

Schools Given Extra s2m

(N.Z. Press Association) PALMERSTON NORTH, August 23. The Government has allocated an extra s2m to be spent on school buildings this financial year, the Minister of Education (Mr Taiboys) announced in Palmerston North yesterday.

Mr Taiboys said all education boards would now be asked to review their draft programmes and submit them for final approval. More than half the extra allocation wbuld go to primary schools. The extra money would mean a record total allocation of s24m had been made for primary and secondary schools and miscellaneous work this year. “Last year the allocation was slB.Bm and actual expenditure $21.05m,” he said. “This year’s allocation is $5.2m higher than last year’s allocation.”

The Government had also agreed to lift from sl6m to sl9m the amount allowed to be carried forward by boards into the 1971-1972 financial year for works started this

year which would be paid for in 1971-72.

The figure of Sl6m had been the authorised figure for both the beginning of 1970-71 and 1971-72. The effect of this was that a substantial number of new works would be able to be started this year besides those that boards had already included in their draft. Staffing Schedules Immediately the transition to three-year training was completed, at the end of 1971, the one-to-35 staffing schedules would begin to operate, he said. Improvements to teacher training and improved staffing schedules were part of a s7om project. Mr Taiboys said there had been misunderstanding and confusion about Government expenditure on education. The total allocation last year was s2o9m, but this year it was $227m and it was likely the Government would exceed s24om. Last year, education ex-

penditure was 14.2 per cent of total Government expenditure, but this year he wks sure it would be about 15 per cent.

The allocations to primary schools this year would now be about $11.5m with the increases just announced. The allocation last year was $9.347m, with an actual expenditure of s9.Bm. In Auckland tonight, the president of the New Zealand Education Boards Association (Mr R. McGlashen) said he welcomed the decision to allocate an extra s2m for school buildings. “We are very thankful to get this extra allocation, but it won’t be sufficient,” he said. “The allocation is for school buildings this financial year. But this has to be divided between 10 education boards and secondary schools as well as primary schools. I asked for $3.2m for the primary schools alone.”