CROWDED ROOMS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 140, 10 December 1931, Page 5

CROWDED ROOMS

PETONE TECHNICAL SCHOOL

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

The urgent need for. further accommodation at the Petone Technical > High School is strongly stressed, by the principal (Mir. A. M'Fadyen) in the course of-his annual report. ■ • ■

The numbers in| the- day classes increased by more than 100 at the beginning' of this year, arid approximately 300 pupils per day have been accommodated. in the day time. The; type-writing-room has been fully used this year in the day time not' only for typewriting; but ■ for ordinary class work, and it has also had to be used in the evening for ordinary class purposes on two evenings per week. - .''"" v

The wool-room'has been used as an ordinary classroom as well as for woolclassing purposes. This" room was equipped at the beginning of the year with drawing tables, and on many occasions has been uncomfortably crowded. The- first :ycar trades elr 3 wa.ft1 * one of 56, and owing to lack of rooms.it<.was not possible to subdivide the class, as uilder ordinary circumstances it should have been. There is only one room, next to the wool-room, which could accommodate all the pupils of this class at one time, and it, was.uncomfortably crowded.: The, engineering-room can only accommodate 18 pupils with safety for practical work,and the.woodworkroom 26. The kitchen has been used every night for class purposes. '

"I mention these 'matters, not in- a carping spirit, but ,to sho^ board members the difficulties under which wo have been labouring,": the principal wrote. "I am deeply indebted to the members of the staff for. carrying on the work so cheerfully under such trying conditions, and for thus. making my task much easier than, it might- otherwise have been. . . . One hears of. largor schools clamouring for assembly halls. No, room is largo enough to accommodate all our pupils at one time, yet classroom accommodation would be more acceptable to us at the present time." .

Tenders were called in April for the erection of the new workshop block, and work was begun in June, tno report contiuned. Unfortunately, after a start had been made and the ground levelled no work was done, on the site for ten woeks. Work was re-commenced on 16th September and has been steaaily carried on since then. Tlio work is now going ahead, and it is hoped that the buildings.will be ready for the beginning of 1932.