Boards want information

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32604, 12 May 1971, Page 22

Boards want information

Criticism of the “lack” of information forwarded to secondary school boards by the Ministry of Works on the development of school buildings while under construction was expressed in Christchurch yesterday.

Delegates to the southern regional conference passed a remit asking for greater liaison between the Ministry of Works and school boards. Eighteen remits were presented at the conference, two being rejected, and many of the others passed in amended forms.

In moving the motion asking for more information on building programmes during their construction, Mr W. J. Robertson. representing Otago school boards, said that the links between the boards and the Ministry of Works should be much firmer.

He said there had been a number of unfortunate occurances at a West Otago school during the construction of a school building. These would not have occurred if there had been greater liaison between the Ministry and the school board.

One member said his board has instigated a building plan, but it had been laid aside without any valid reason. Two stages Dr R. Baker (Ashburton) said the question of communication between the two bodies should be divided into two stages—planning and

design, and the execution of the contract once it was let Secondary school boards were number four on the information list behind the contractor, clerk in the Ministry of Works, and the Department of Education. Dr Baker said that after considerable difficulty during the construction at Ashburton High School, the board was now receiving regular monthly reports on progress. One board member spoke of the “deep-rooted frustration” which had arisen after fellow members had been called on to waste many valuable hours due to a lack of proper liaison with the Ministry of Works.

Before it was passed, the original remit was amended to read: “That boards be kept sufficiently informed of new designs in concept and local individual planning of school buildings to allow for full investigation in enabling informed comment, and that regional office be requested to supply regular monthly reports to boards on progress once a contract has been let”

Service age A remit asking that, after the age of 60 years or on completion of 40 years of service, a teacher’s position be regarded as temporary and subject to termination at the discretion of the board, was defeated by a large majority. ' In moving it Mr Craig (Timaru Boys’ High School board) said the remit was a

discretionary measure designed to deal with certain circumstances only. However, many delegates felt it would prove both difficult and embarrassing for boards to take such action.

Other remits passed at the conference included an endorsement of sabbatical leave for secondary school teachers, a call for the whole operation of existing conditions relating to country service to be re-examined and a request to the department to take further steps to ensure that adequately trained staff are available to teach the many slow-leamers entering secondary school.