EDUCATION BOARD

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 76, 31 March 1914, Page 8

EDUCATION BOARD

OPEN-AIR SCHOOLS. The monthly meeting of the Education' Board was held this afternoon, there being present Messrs. R. Lee (chairman), A. W. Hogg, Moss, Freeman, and Sir Walter Buchanan. FINANCE. The statement of finances showed that, after providing for payshect (£9776), there would be a debit balance of £971. The March payments included buildings £919, general £1330, technical £200, manual and technical £607, secondary £707, teachers' salaries £6004. The Chairman remarked with satisfaction that the board had reduced the debit balance from £4213 on 20th February to £971. Itf the Government grant due was paid in the account would show a credit. The report was adopted. GOVERNMENT GRANTS. The Department wrote, stating that it was prepared to give a grant of £5885 for tho Britomart school, South Wellington, and £375 for the training of teachers, arid £577 for additions to the Maranui school. Speaking generally, tie Chairman said tho tendency of school construction was to have one side of the school open to the air. That, however, was a matter that would have to be considered later as far as the Maranui school was concerned. Mr. Hogg strongly supported the idea of open air schools, considering that the present system of closed-in schools had been Very . detrimental to the health of tho younger children especially, and also to the teachers. The necessity for an abundance of fresh air had never been considered. The Chairman said that at South Wellington the board was putting up a distinctly open-air class-room. In Canada the same thing was being done, and the children sat practically in the open air. It was, of course, at present merely an experiment. It was decided to set up a committee to deal with ,the question of the proposed extension to the Maranui school, and confer with the local committee. PETONE SCHOOL. The Petone School Committee again applied for the re-establishment of the rural course. The Chief Inspector (Mr. T. Fleming) read a,n inspector's report in favoiij* of the proposal, aud it was deckled that the present system of instruction be^agreed (o. The Petono Technical School managers sent in an amended application for workshops and classes. The request was approved, and it was decided to send it on to the Department. JOHNSONVILLE. The Johnsonville Committee renewed its application that cookery and woodwork course."- he conducted in the school, for which the Department had refused to provide the necessary at'uoniniockvtion. It was de<.id«] to ask ths Department to recoflßiUer its deckion. (Prjajggdipg.)