HIGHER CLASSES

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 220, 13 June 1933, Page 10

HIGHER CLASSES

Intermediate Schools Not Favoured FEDERATION’S VIEWS The Wellington School Committees’ and Educational Federation last night expressed a decided preference for junior high schools as against the proposed intermediate school system. The Brooklyn School Committee forwarded a resolution carried at a meet ing of householders, urging upon the Government the inadvisability of a piecemeal introduction of the intermediate school system, which would involve heavy additional expenditure for the supply of material and plant. The resolution advocated the reduction of the size of classes, the restoration of subsidies for class libraries, musical instruments, handwork material, and games facilities, and the establishment of a Standard VII in all primary schools to be worked under an exploratory syllabus. A further Brooklyn resolution advocated the institution of a kindergarten department at primai'y schools to receive children between the ages of three aud six years who would attend voluntarily.

Mr. N. A. Digram, secretary of the federation, said that there was a good deal of meat in the Brooklyn resolution. Sweeping economies had been made in the primary education vote The federation was endeavouring to obtain the affiliation of every school committee in the district, in order that, it could put up a fight. He was iu favour of junior high schools, but opposed to intermediate schools! If the latter were established, the primary schools would be cut down, and the whole system would have to be reorganised, '“he federation should back up the protest of the New Zealand Educational 'nstitute, which had gone, thoroughly into the question. Now was the time to voice a protest. Mr. J. J. Clark said he did not think the establishment of kindergartens in primary schools would be at all practicable. The difficulty could be ’ cst met by the Government restoring the grant to the Kindergarten Association. He believed that intermediate schools were a good thing, particularly as they would leave the children in the primary schools. If any paring had to be done in the education vote it would certainly be at the expense of the primary schools.

Mrs. I. Robinson said that if they could not ‘get the five-year-olds admitted to the schools, they should press for the reinstatement of the grants to the Kindergarten Association. Mrs. E. Smith said they were still very much iu the dark concerning intermediate schools. They should ask the department if it favoured such schools, and if it could economise by instituting them.

Mr. IV. H. Phillips said that several headmasters had opposed the formation of intermediate schools. He suggested that the federation’should invite a number of headmasters to rive the federation their ideas on the subject.

Mr. J, J. Fyffe gave notice to move; That this federation protests againsi any tinkering with the upper standards of the primary schools until such time as adequate • finances are available to establish a system of junior high schools as outlined by the Atmore educational report.” •

it was-decided to invite Mr. 'T. B. Strong and representatives of the New Zealand- Educational Institute to address the federation upon the advantages and disadvantages of the intermediate school system.