PUPILS TRANSFER

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 69, 14 December 1932, Page 10

PUPILS TRANSFER

Rongotai College Plan is Opposed ALTERNATIVE SCHEME Objections to the transfer of boys from Standards V and VI to Rongotai College were repeated by a deputation representing the school committee® of the eastern suburbs which waited on the Minister of Education, Hon. R. Masters, yesterday. In promising to consider the representations, and offering an alternative scheme, the Ministerrepeated that he was in favour of the intermediate school plan. Mr. F. H. Porter, representing the Kilbirnie School, said the committee of that school had unanimously passed a resolution objecting to any pupils being made to leave and attend Rongotai College until they had passed their proficiency examination. In Standards V and VI, he said, only girls would be left, and this was not considered desirable for several reasons. In addition compulsory transfer would place an additional burden on parents, and the fact that in the largest school of the district less than 25 per cent, of the parents had decided to send their boys to Rongotai, showed that the scheme was not favoured. Several monetary charges would have to be met by parents sending children to Rongotai, and these would prove difficult to many. The Deputation disagreed with the statement that six classrooms at the college would be emptied if the transfers were not made. There was no suggestion that those boys already at Rongotai should be re-transferred to the primary schools. They would remain, so that only three classrooms would be vacated this year. It was to be expected that, owing to economic circumstances, a large number would re-enrol in the higher forms at the college, and these, together with those who passed their proficiency examination, would more than fill the places of those who left the higher forms, helping toward the filling of the room vacated by form 1. After others had spoken, the Minister said he had gone into the question since the last deputation waited on him, and, in conjunction with the department, the following alternative scheme had been drafted:— (1) To close the intermediate department at Rongotai and compel all boys in the eastern suburbs to remain at their primary schools until they obtain their certificates of proficiency; Apart from any consideration of the positive advantages derived by pupils attending an intermediate school, the emptying of six classrooms at Rongotai and their continual disuse would make the proposal a distinctly retrograde one.

(2) To extend the Rongotai intermediate department by encouraging more form 1 boys to leave the primary schools. This was impracticable as the existing accommodation at Rongotai College was fully utilised. (3) To continue with the present system of optional transfer. (4) To decapitate Lyall Bay and Miramar South, the two schools nearest to Rongotai College, by transferring all boys in form 1 to the college, and at the same time to withdraw from boys in the other schools of the district the option of entering the Rongotai intermediate department. . Mr. Masters said he had no desire to force anything on to the school committees, but he could not neglect the fact that over 100 parents had applied to have their children transferred to Rongotai. The force of the argument that Rongotai did not take girls was admitted, but it had to be remembered that boys would obtain an advanage by the transference. The departmental experts considered it was in the interests of the boys that they should be transferred, and it was considered that the closing down of the intermediate svstem would be a mistake. In view of the representations made, how-ever, the question would be reviewed. although, the Minister added, he could give an assurance that the fourth alternative, the decapitation of Lyali Bay and Miramar South, would not be put into operation.