Integration ‘a slow process’

Press, 26 September 1980, Page 4

Integration ‘a slow process’

PA Wellington Theintegration of private schools into the State system has been a slower and

much more complex process than originally envisaged, said the Minister of Education (Mr Wellington) yesterday. Mr Wellington told the Education Boards Association conference that 16 Roman Catholic primary schools, one Catholic secondary school, and five nonCatholic schools had been integrated so far. He . remarked on. the amount of publicity the issue had received.

For ' example, there had been extensive discussions

on personnel issues. “Additionally, each school requires its own agreement, and such matters as build-

ings and land titles all add to the time it takes for any particular school to be integrated,” Mr Wellington said.

He said that planning for

I* contraction would be complex £ewar pupils, meant Htftat a Fot of surplus accom- • ..would.- become : availaaie for other uses.

Primary education had grown for the last 35 years, providing a big ' investment in school resources, and these had. to be used to their full extent, Mr Wellington said. In spite of the fall in rolls, a programme of works was continuing. . The total value of new primary works came to almost $32 million. Mr Wellington touched on recent discussion over teacher-pupil ratios, saying

that an additional “blanket” reduction in class sizes

would not necessarily bring improvements in pupil learning. He described research into

the relationship between the size of classes in which children were taught, and their level of attainment, as “conflicting and inconclusive.”