Board criticism of education cutbacks

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32554, 13 March 1971, Page 21

Board criticism of education cutbacks

Education should be one of the last areas of Government spending to be interfered with, the headmaster of Mairehau High School (Mr A. B. Ryan) told a board meeting this week.

“The future of our country depends vitally upon the quality of our education being developed to meet the economic and Social requirements, not just of today but of the future. No child should suffer any impairment of his educational rights because his school years coincide with times of economic pressure,” Mr Ryan said. Mr C. T. Ford, the board’s chairman, said he believed the situation had become muddied and over-emotional, as the Prime Minister (Sir Keith Holyoake) had given assurances that there would be no cuts in educational spending, merely restrictions. “But there has already been a cut in educational expenditure,” replied Mr Ryan. “The withdrawal of the evening-classes grant represented a loss to the system, although not a major loss.” Mr Ryan said that the Department of Education had failed to provide for necessary maintenance for the school, which also indicated further cuts in expenditure. TEXT BOOKS

“An estimated deficit of $lOOO can be expected this year, because, added to the rise in the cost of text books, all school subjects have

changed prescription in the last five years,” he said. “This means that, with our text books going rapidly out of date, we can’t afford to replace them.” Although the Department of Education had prescribed a new seventh-form English course, for which it was necessary to use a tape recorder, a request for a grant to buy the tape recorder had been refused, Mr Ryan said. “The situation is highly illogical, but there is nothing we can do about it,” said the secretary (Mr, P. J. Halligan). ACCOMMODATION Mr Ryan said that, although the board had asked the Department of Education for additional administrative accommodation more than a year ago, nothing had been heard about it. “The need is even greater now,” he said. “The department has provided a counsellor and a bursar, but there is nowhere to house them.” Because of the considerable over-expenditure in the last financial year, Mr Ryan said that at the next meeting he intended to put forward proposals to institute additional “class materials fees,” for such subjects as art and commerce.