SCHOOL CLASSES

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 73, 28 March 1922, Page 7

SCHOOL CLASSES

GRADUAL REDUCTION.

Investigations have been made by the Minister of Education as to the staffing bf schools and the size of classes. The Minister states that though there are still too many classes containing over sixty children, the position is steadily I improving. Steps have been taken this year to provide extra staffs in some of the schools in each district in which ■classes are unduly large. Next year, with a considerably increased output of students from, the training colleges, still | further relief can be given, and it is hoped that 'by 1924 there will be no class in the primary school containing i more than fifty children. There are j over 60 per cent, more young teachers in the trainirig.colleges to-day than ever before. The Minister realises that a more desirable limit in the size of a class would be forty pupils, but he considers that a great advance will be made if he can provide for his present objective within the next two years An examination of returns for last December from nine of the largest, schools in the City of Wellington gives the following result. The first figures are the number of pnpils in the classes, and the second the number of classes:— 31-35, 6; -35-40," 15; 41-45, 11; 46—50, 14; 51—55. 26; 56—60, 23; 61—65, 13; 66—70, 9; 71—75, 7; 76—80, 3; 76—80, 3; over 80, 2. . . , - j These figures represent the number ■ of pupils in charge of each assistant, j -but there ate in addition in these nine schools forty pupil teachers and probationers who give material assistance to the teachers in charge of the largest classes, and thus help to provide more individual attention to the pupils in many of the class subjects. It is hoped to lessen the number of the largest classes this year and do away with the necessity of at least the classes over 65 next year, and possibly with those over 50 in the following year.