Pupil problem

Press, 18 August 1979, Page 6

Pupil problem

Communities expect too i much of their schools, says I the Minister of Education! (Mr Wellington). Addressing the annual; conference of Parent-Teacher! Associations in Christchurch yesterday, Mr Wellington | said he supported the view i that parents had a right to I expect schools to do the best they could for all pupils. However, there was , a danger that the community > would ask the schools for ] more than they could possi-| bly give. “This is a matter of very real concern to me,” he said. | Schools were being asked | to accept more responsibility j for children’s behaviour and | attitudes. Children who did not con-! form and consistently upset classes were placing a great; burden on teachers, he said.; It was difficult for teachers to know what to do for such children or how to handle them. The Education Department might have to find ways to I help the most disruptive pupils by providing other facilities outside the schools. A new programme was being developed to ease the path from school to work for secondary school pupils

wnq were not making progress in ordinary school pro- ! grammes. ! “I hope we will be able to develop more new strategies ■ in this way,” he said. : Vandalism and arson in (schools were a worry to the 'department, Mr Wellington | said. From April, 1978, to (March, 1979. there were 13384 recorded incidents of ! vandalism which cost I 5822.000. Fire damage (amounted to $1.65M. I Mr Wellington said he had i set up a working party to | investigate vandalism in (schools. The audience titIjtered, and Mr Wellington (said he had expected them to. because he had set up so many working parties to • i sort out problems. t The working party would t] examine the relationship be.’tween vandalism and ,(schools, family and neighII bourhood circumstances, and j (would evaluate several suggested solutions. t "I recognise the problem >!is a complex one and solutions will not be easily (found; but there is evidence to show that vandalism de- , creases when the community : a-, a whole makes full use of : the school’s facilities,” he I said.