The Press WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1970. Bigger Vote For School Building Programme

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32385, 26 August 1970, Page 12

The Press WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1970. Bigger Vote For School Building Programme

The Canterbury Education Board, and other education boards, will be relieved to learn that the Government has decided to increase its allocation of money for school building and maintenance programmes by $2 million. The Canterbury board was the first to consider the 1970 allocation and also the announcement by the Minister of Education (Mr Taiboys) that a ceiling would be put on plans for work coming to charge in the next financial year. The building programmes of education boards obviously have to run more or less continuously from one year to another; plans laid and work begun in one year anticipate building grants in the next year. The Canterbury Education Board faces a heavy programme of work to build or enlarge new schools and to replace worn-out classrooms in old schools. The 1970 allocation and the ceiling on subsequent work meant that the board would have to curtail its programme severely. The board was particularly concerned that the dislocation of its plans would upset preparations for the introduction of the l-to-35 staff-pupil ratio in 1972 and it rightly objected to the apparent discrepancy between Government policy on the size of classes and the Government decision on building programmes. Both the increased allocations for 1970-71 and the raising of the limit on work carried forward will now ease the pressure on the boards’ programmes.

The latest report of the Department of Education shows that while the size of primary school classes is being steadily reduced year by year the target of a maximum of 35 pupils to a class is still a major challenge. Last year, slightly more than a third of the 14,290 primary classes in State schools had between 36 and 40 pupils—Boo classes more than in 1966. Happily, the number of classes that are even larger has been reduced. In 1966,2140 classes, or more than 16 per cent of all State primary school classes, had more than 40 pupils; by last year the number was reduced to 1300, or 9 per cent of classes. Ten years ago more than a quarter of primary school classes had between 41 and 50 pupils.

The number of students recruited for training as primary teachers has never been higher than last year. It would be regrettable if the rising number of teachers were not matched by the increase in classroom accommodation. More than 60 per cent of children in State primary schools last year were in classes of more than 35. This was certainly better than 70 per cent, which was the proportion only three years earlier; but the improvement was made by adding 1100 classes—and classrooms—to the primary schools. Mr Taiboys appears to have scored an important gain for education services by being able to add to the building vote. The figures show it was needed.