School authority "overpowering"

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33065, 4 November 1972, Page 16

School authority "overpowering"

Secondary school pupils at a youth seminar in Christchurch last week said that they felt frustrated when trying to approach school authorities because the authorities could always “kick them out.”

The pupils said that it was “rather overpowering” to have to talk to a principal in his “hallowed office.” The seminar director (Mr P. Calder) said he believed the onus was on authority to show clearly that people would be given a hearing. If pupils did not believe that a communication channel was open to them, then in fact it was not open, and pupils might resort to other tactics, he said.

The seminar, organised by the Regional Youth Council, was attended by 30 young persons between the ages of 16 and 25. They were addressed by the director of C.0.R.5.0. (Mr R. A. Consedine), the secretary of the National Council of Churches (the Rev. R. M. O’Grady), a Christchurch city councillor (Mr D. F. Caygill) and the president of Ecology Action (Mr P. Williams). “People need systems,” said Mr O'Grady. “Halt All Racist Tours is a system. The danger comes when systems outgrow their purpose and become so big that you can’t find where the real power lies, as in some big companies,” Mr Consedine emphasised

what he said was the need for those working the system to do their homework and cover all angles before taking action. Mr Caygill said that city councillors could not hope to be informed about everything, and often the best people to see were the permanent staff of the council. Commenting on the semi,nar, the Christchurch Youth Activities Officer (Mr R. A. Ross) said that the efforts of young people to achieve change were often frustrated because they did not understand how to use the system to the best advantage. Such frustration could goad them into finding means oL achieving change outside the system, he said.