EDUCATIONAL REFORM

Evening Star, Issue 11605, 19 July 1901, Page 3

EDUCATIONAL REFORM

RAISING THE SCHOOL AGE? [From Our Pakliamestaby Repobtkr.] WELLINGTON, July 19. The principal alteration in the law sought to be effected by the Bill with the above object, the second reading of which was carried on the voices by the Legislative Council yesterday, is to extend the school age from thirteen to fourteen years, mainly to meet the requirements of country districts, to raise the required attendance to three days and a-half out of every five, and alter the present law with regard to exemptions. A distance of two miles from school is sufficient to exempt under the present Act. It is now proposed to increase the distance for children over ten years to three miles. The Minister of Education, who has charge of the measure, explained that it further provided for a maximum penalty on parents of truant children of 10s and a minimum of 2s. The Hon. H. Feldwid contended that under the wording of the Bill Roman Catholic children, who were outside the limit of access to a school of their ownwould have to attend a public school, or eke obtain exemption annually from the committee, and a committee could refuse to grant such exemption. The Minister denied that this construction could be put on the Bill. Exemption could be granted -on it being shown that a child was "under efficient and regular instruction elsewhere." Efficient and regular instruction was all that was aimed at.