EDUCATION BAR

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 50, 27 August 1937, Page 10

EDUCATION BAR

THE NURSING PROFESSION

CHANCE RECOMMENDED

(By Telegraph.) (Special to the "Evening Post.") NEW PLYMOUTH, This Day. ~ The rule debarring girls without post-primary education from the nursing profession was discussed at the New Zealand School Committees' Conference, and the relaxation of the practice by hospital boards for three years was strongly urged. The suggestion was contained in a remit from the North Taranaki Association. The conference also decided to lodge a protest with the Government on the grounds that;an injustice was being done .to country girls who had received -no higher than primary education. "It is a form of school snobbery," said Mrs. W. J. Wright (North Taranaki) in moving the remit, "and it is a snobbery that is actually very injurious to country girls who cannot attend high schools. We have worked hard to obtain facilities for country children, and now we -are allowing them to be used as a rod against their interests. We should not allow the system as it stands to penalise children who cannot and will never have a chance to attend a high school. This also applied to girls in poor circumstances in towns, who could not attend a high school. It is a retrograde step and is taking us back 50 years." Mrs. Wright said that if this system had always been in force it would have debarred the; first woman doctor in New Zealand from going through her training in hospital, because she did not go to high school. The remit was seconded by Mrs. C. Benton, who mentioned that some of the best nurses and trained sisters were those who had had no secondary education. There should be no discrimination in the matter of entrants to the nursing profession, said the Rev. Hugh Graham. (Otago). If the position was as stated it seemed to be somewhat anomalous. '".■■' The explanation made by hospital authorities was that, in these times of specialised nursing it was necessary that girls should have a high school education, said Mrs. Wright. "I admit that," she declared, "but how many of our nurses have been trained to be' specialists? The ultimate aim is, to take the standard to . matriculation, which would cut out far more than I have already mentioned." Another explanation was that when nurses went Home'to continue their training they were at a disadvantage if they had no secondary education, but how many did go Home? Why should the "common herd", be cut out for a few specialists? •