RONGOTAI COLLEGE

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 25, 29 July 1932, Page 8

RONGOTAI COLLEGE

TRANSFER OF PUPILS

REPLY TO CRITICISM

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

A deputation from the seven , school committees. ;of the "Wellington East area recently-waited on the Education Board to protest against the transference of the fifth, and sixth standard pupils from their schools to .Rongotai Boys'. College. A report from-the principal of Rongotei Boys' College (Mr. F. Martyn Jlon; ncr), replying to some of the statemerits made by the deputation,; was received at yesterday's meeting' of • the Wellington College Board of' Governors, Mr. Renner reported that the ostensible .reason given was-that it was in the best; interests ■ of.the children that the, practice,-^qf;.- transferring... pupils should be stopped.; The real reason, it appeared -to him, was the -loss -of capitation and ; tlie fall in grade of the schools concerned.. It was a much easier thing.to say that the child'should be the first consideration In all-mat-ters of educational '.policy than it was to put .one's"belief into practice. Yet it was a > fact that the child was all that mattered, and he had no hesitation in saying that the policy of admitting children of. the fourth and fifth standards to .Rongotai was sound, and/is accord not only, with; the findings oi the Hadow report, but.in. accord with what was being carried out in England and other; countries. ; Only• toCently, at, a; large gathering of local authorities.in\ England, it was' decided that, ■whatever curtailment of ture became necessary," .there should be no' pause -in the- further extension .o i the educational principles\laid■ down. it the Hadow Beport. His only regrei was that'he?.could--not:.carry .out a\ Kongotai. these .principles fully .by ad minting. all: boys f rOm /the, surrounding schools after they had passed the'fpurtl ■standard. Jjack of accommodation-pre vented that .beingdoney.with the result thatithere Were-probably;quite a num ber of boys in the, primary schools wh< should, be;at -Eo.ngotai—many of then no doubt,,Because^ their, .parents kne-u co little "of wnat' was done and attempt ed at the college. ;■; On ithe other .hand there. were =at;,present jno, boys, at ■ Eon gotai• w.ho, wpuldVbefetter at a prim ,ary-school* ..■ ■■ -_; ■;.:.. •.'■■"'.•■.•'• I THE INDWipUAIi TOUCH: ■ The worktof,;the; lower; school • was laTgely; exploratory.over the- first two years,;,cpntinn^'d i'Mr. .'Eennei1. - By. 'the time ,a-boy'gainedJhis proficiency, certificate, it icouldi be• fairly definitely-as-certained XI) ;whether i;ttie .boy. should continue to ; go .on; in the upper, school; (2) : wi^thei; ;,ha, should! go- 6n,to 1 tne technical,Schooij^(3) whether Jie.shquld go. to •'wbrk;'Vyqry / ,.-par^ul. I .wcordsi'.qf every individual-boy were keptj.at'>the end of, every,year^ he !inet'the parents jn consultation, and >an honest decision, was- reached.- ;. -',; ;:,v ; • - . , At the end; of. las^yqar, for on two daysj he m'Qiihe'parents of 143 boys. ■•Eongotifti Kad^ fKe staffing and the equipment" wh'icti Enabled' this work to:be donekD4uch.:betterthan in! 'the primary ■Bchopis v ''.j-ie,'boys''time was savedi also-th'e-^arerits'in'oney'and'the State's money, by'definitely ■directing a boy's education'along the.right lines at the-e)trli:^stipoßsible period.- If:this practice Vc6uld';'l)e generally adopted, there would 'be 'less .adverse: criticism of educational expenditnr© and less complaint of-;misfits'in'the secondary schools. Mr. Eenrier maintained' tHat the present system of voluntary -admis-sions-Spread ,oV,er ,sev. en/schools:-V^S infinitelytfbetter: than'the aystemv■ vogue during .the .first two .years, when two schools: (Miraniar and Lyall Bay) were .totally decapitated by thecompulso.ry ,transfer., of .aU s the boys.of the r fifth. and . sixth ..' standards, of those schools; .'. }[' ;■;■'■' ■;•■• -.-.■.-• •■■■ ... '■^' '';?QTOSTiw:'o^,^XK^!.One argument advanced was. that of expense td,the r bioys' paVents". ;" In1 every! casevthe.,sc.hopi:apth'orities -did 'their utmost' to assist vparen:tß.', In airicases where, necessary, school books, 'station-; "efy, belt, .and badg^ were supplied free. In no'case': did 'tKe "school press; for payment; of , spoTts?.- fees; In other words, every boy received the' fullest1 encouragement ■ to', take part in. '.the school ;:a6tiv'ities ■whether he; paid his 15s per.annum or not. "In really.'very, necessitous .cases,'' the boy's 'school uniform was.supplied.' .;. ■' :': ;■•■'■•■ Rongotai was-not an academic school. If T it was; found that a boy would.benefit from iJattendance ■ at.' the college. •he could tako-either: \ (a-) a general "or academic cou'rsei or'(b)"a'commerc'ial'course, (c) a manual, course,, or (d) an industrial course. The moment a boy: in the' upper school showed that he had; a distinct bent towards a; course, in' which the school' could 'notieduca,te him 'be-. yond certain1 limits, f6r. example, in the manual :qr industrial,^ then, he' was sent on, to1 an' institution' where he' could get what-he^wanted. ; ■"'•'-': ; ■ '■-•-'■ ' Summed up, a;l)oy of.ll admitted to Eongotai'College and any similar postprimary ■ school, left at the age of 16 years with five';years'-post-primary education directed along bright linesywhereas under the old system.he left' at the same age -with only two years' postprimary education, and that very often not directed, along iighf lines. : ■'