PALMERSTON HIGH SCHOOL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3144, 24 July 1917, Page 6

PALMERSTON HIGH SCHOOL

SEPAEATE INSTITUTION FOR GIRLS DEMANDED. A very strong plea for the establishment of a separate high school for girls in the town of Palmerston North was made by a representative deputation from the town and district which waited upon Hon. J. A. Hanan yesterday afternoon. . The case as presented by the deputation was that the present buildings were not sufficiently large to accommodate the increased and increasing number of pupils attending the school. The rector (.Mr. J. E. Vernon) said that the school would accommodate comfortably about 220 scholars, and the present roll number was 800. The normal rate of increase was about 30 per year, and if 30 lhore pupils came next year he simply would not know what to do with them. Already classes were boing held in tho cookery-room, the central hall, the armoury, and the masters' common room. He pointed out also that Palmerston was a young town, and that even if it did not go on increasing in population, the attendance at the school would increase. It was urged by other speakers that something must be done at once, and that, as it would be inadvisable to add to the present building, and continue the mixed school, a separate new school for girls ought to be built. If this were done the attendance of girls would be increased. The sum asked for wii6 .£6OOO —this for tho building alone. The site was already available.

The Minister, replying, said that ho did not think any Minister of Education had boen bombarded with so many applications foi financial grants as he had been, and no Minister had- experienced the difficulties that he expected to experience b' getting the money reasonably necessary to meet these requirements. His duty wai to examine very closely the various claims made to see that provision was made for those services which were of. greatest importance. His own opinion waj that in view of the insufficiency of provision made for primary school needs, especially in the backblocks, the claims' of primary education must have priority. If all the demands for grants were to be satisfied the Minister would have to ask for a largely-, increased sum on the Estimates. With respect to the request of the deputation, if a sepai'ato institution was to be established the question arose as to what type of school should be erected—whether it should be a high school for girls, or whether it should be in the nature of a technical high school. He would have to consider whether a technical high school would'not better meet the requirements of a large number of pupils who wished to continue their education beyond the primary school course. The representations made had impressed him, and he would bring them before Cabinet when the Education Estimates were under consideration. He could not promise a vote, for the school, because he did not know what sum of money Cabinet would allot to him.

Mr. Vernon informed the Minister that the policy of the present school was to make provision for the manual and technical subjects, and not to . allow the school curriculum to be dominated by university requirements.