Co-ed decision to be checked

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 22

Co-ed decision to be checked

The Minister of Education (Mr Gandar) will send a “one-man committee” to investigate the decision by Wanganui Boys’ College to go coeducation. The college wants to enrol girls to keep up its rolls — but only girls taking academic courses. Other State secondary schools in Wanganui, which were not consulted about the college’s decision, are most concerned about the effect it will have on them. Mr Gandar shares this concern. Questioned abcrut the college’s decision at the Post-Primary Teachers’ Association annual conference at Wellington, Mr Gandar said he had decided to appoint a committee to look into the affair. Pressed further, he said that the committee would have one member. Teachers at the conference said that secondary school rolls were falling at Wanganui and loss of some girls pupils would affect the other schools severely.

The assistant DirectorGeneral of Education (Mr P. Boag) said that singlesex schools seemed to have the right to go coeducational. “But it’s tied to the ac= commodation, such as girls’ lavatories, ‘ and teaching resources for different subjects they may need to introduce,” Mr Boag said. “They are not completely free agents.” It was an interesting legal point whether the school would have the right to turn away nonacademic girls. Academic selection would be ruled out if the Minister introduced a zoning policy for Wanganui. “Other schools are not happy to see the cream of the girl students taken away,” Mr Boag said. This is the third controversy involving Wanganui Boys’ College this year. The college’s finances were taken over by the Wanganui Education Board after it fell $24,000 in debt and tertiary students at the college had their bursaries delayed by