THE FIVE-YEAR-OLDS

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 126, 23 November 1935, Page 17

THE FIVE-YEAR-OLDS

DECLARATION WANTED

BEARING ON ELECTION

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) WAIPUKURAU, November 21. Reference to the question of the exclusion of the five-year-olds from the schools was made by Mr. G. R. Ashbridge, secretary of the New Zealand Educational Institute, at a meeting of the Central Hawke's Bay branch of the Institute at Waipukurau last evening. Mr. Ashbridge pointed out that the Education Committee of the House had recommended that the petition asking that the children should be admitted should receive most favourable consideration from the Government. "It should be emphasised that this Committee contains a majority of Government members," said Mr. Ashbridge, "and that the whole question was considered on broad educational grounds. It is a very unusual thing for a select committee to bring in a finding so contrary to declared Government policy, and! the fact that this Committee did so is convincing evidence of the strength of the case for the readmission of the children." "The question now is whether the Government' will, if returned to office, act upon the recommendation of the Committee. The Minister of Education, in reply to inquiries fror* the institute, has given an assurance that the matter will receive very careful consideration. It is very doubtful if the 24,000 people who signed the petitions asking for the readmission of the children will be satisfied with that. What they want isa definite declaration of policy before the election takes place. The Government has the, very definite recommendation of its expert Education Committee to guide it and the only question now is whether it is prepared, in the face of that recommendation, to continue the exclusion of the five-year-olds as an economy measure."