FOR BACKWARD CHILDREN

Evening Star, Issue 19273, 11 June 1926, Page 2

FOR BACKWARD CHILDREN

FRESH-AIR SCHOOL AT KEW SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE Pleasantly situated on a large area of flat ground at the rear of toe Children’s Convalescent Homo at Kew, the fresh-air school which was opened yesterday and handed over to the charge of the Otago Education Board is the first of its kind to be established m Otago, and its progress will be closely watched by educationists and others interested in the welfare of backward or “retarded” children, for whose benefit it has been built. The site of one acre, on which a kindergarten is being built some distance from the fresh-air school, was made available through the generosity of the Hudson brothers as a memorial to their late father. The idea of the fresh-air school was conceived and brought to a successful issue by the Hon. Mark Cohen, to whose efforts various speakers at the opening ceremony paid warm tributes. Messrs Love Bros, were the contractors for the building, and erected. it in ■six weeks’ time, it consists of two rooms—one large and one small —with one side open and facing to the northwest. Across the open front of the larger room, which measures approximately 25ft by 24ft, sliding doors are provided, and also canvas curtains. The other three sides of the rooms are well lighted and ventilated. Attached is a dual set of conveniences, including a shower bath for each sex. The school will serve as a memorial to the late wife of Mr Cohen.

After the Hon. Mr Cohen had traced the history of the movement ; the Hon. J. A. Hanan, who gave an interesting address dealing with the importance of health in education, formally declared the school open. Then Mr Cohen asked the chairman of, the Otago Education Board (Mr J. Wallace) to accept the building on behalf of his board. In doing so Mr Wallace said the school would not have been made possible but for the work of Mr Cohen, who had been one of the outstanding figures in educational and civic matters in Dunedin for a very long time. ■ The fresh-air school was the school of the future. It would save the country an enormous amount of expense, and would bring better health to the children. It gave him great pleasure to accept the school for what it was and what it stood for. It was going to bo an important influence‘in the lives of children who would otherwise have dark days ahead of them, and it stood for the work of a good man and his wife.

Mr T. R. Fleming said that before he left active work as senior inspector with tho Education Board ho was greatly pleased to see that the board had promised to take over tho school and to relieve Mr Cohen of the expense. There were various difficulties m connection with these open-air schools. He referred to their experience in Wellington with a school that could be open on three sides. They had some difficulty with the parents. Tho children were examined by doctors. They weighed heavier, were healthier, and had fewer colds than those inside. When Mr Hanan was Minister the inspectors always had to report on the health of the children. He said they were very successful in the teacher they had secured for this school.

Among those present at the opening ceremony were the Hon. Mark Cohen, Dr R. B. Pbillipps (of Christchurch), Dr Irwin, tho Hon. J. A. Hanan, Messrs T. R. Fleming (late senior inspector of the Otago education district), F. G. A. Stuckey (the new senior inspector), R. Hudson, W. O. Burt, J. A. Wallace (chairman of the Education Board), S. M. Park, C. J. Thorn, J. Rodger, and a number of other ladies and gentlemen interested in the project.