WELLINGTON SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 270, 20 August 1925, Page 3

WELLINGTON SCHOOLS

PUPILS AND TEACHERS LAST YEAR’S FIGURES The report of the Wellington Education Board for 1924, submitted to the board at yesterday’s meeting by the chairman (Air. T. Forsyth), stated that at the end of the year there were LIJ schools in operation. The average attendance was 90,04 per cent, of the average roll, a reduction on the previous year’s figures of 0.47 per cent. J.he result was on the whole very satisfactory, in view of widely prevalent sickness during the June, September, and December quarters. The number of prosecutions instituted on account of irregular attendance increased from 1< in 1923 to 55 last year, and the convictions recorded totalled 33, as against 12 in the previous year. The total number of adult teachers employed was 728, while 169 pupil teachers were also on the staff. In addition, sixteen manual instructors were employed, making a grand total of 925. ‘‘Additional centres are urgently required,” states the report, “for cookery and woodwork, so as to permit of more convenient access from the schools served and of saving time. The proposed centre at Coutts Street (authorised since the end of the year) will be of great benefit to the eastern area of Wellington. The Featherston district requires a centre; at Alartinborough, where a secondary department is now well established, properly equipped rooms are required for science, woodwork, and cookery. I ;cton can obtain instruction at Blenheim only by spendring a whole day at a time. In agriculture a more clearly defined course is being pursued.” The board had tried out the conveyance of children at Levin, Shannon, and elsewhere. The educational benefit was unquestionable, but the monetary allowances were in many instances much below requirements. Making the best financial arrangements possible, the board had found that at two centres it had had to supplement the grants by well over £SOO in five years. Relief was thus urgently necessary if the system of conveyance was to be continued.