School to close

Press, 19 April 1980, Page 7

School to close

Debts will force the Can-' terbury Coaching College to close at the end of this school term. The college was started three years ago to give individual tuition to students in School Certificate, University Entrance, and remedial reading.

The principal of the college (Mrs C. L. Lyons) has said that the college had got into debt by about $4OOO because it was only a part-time business' paying full rates and rental. The college closes during December, January and February, but is otherwise open between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Mrs Lyons said that the college, at 661 Colombo Street, would be able to survive if it received a grant to pay the debt and enrolled more pupils. The college can call On 18 specialist teachers and has a pupil roll of 50. Revision courses are run during the school holidays, and during a week-long course 50 students can be coached.

Pupils pay $8 an hour for an individual lesson, $6 an hour for a lesson for two, and $5 a lesson for four persons. All fees were raised by $1 an hour last year in an effort to meet bills.

Mrs Lyons found that advertising the college was a problem. Advertising weekly in the “tuition” and “personal” columns had not had

the desired effect. She saidj that many parents had told her they did not know the college existed. In an effort to find pupils, Mrs Lyons has left cards in libraries in Christchurch, circularised schools and the Citizens Advice Bureau, and visited schoolteachers. Mrs Lyons visited the community adviser of the Christchurch City Council (Mr J. R. C. Fry) to ask if the council could grant the college some money. However, Mr Fry said that the council did not usually give

; j money to commercial enter* liprises. ! Mrs Lyons said she was willing to try anything to , keep the college going bei cause it was the only busi- ■ ness that offered tuition to ! adults who wanted to catch 1 up to sit school examinations; slow, readers; and s students who were shy and afraid to ask questions at j school. f| , If the college closed she »|was afraid that many Christ--i church adults and children ; I would be without a needed ; I educational service.