PRIVATE SCHOLARSHIPS

Evening Star, Issue 19518, 28 March 1927, Page 3

PRIVATE SCHOLARSHIPS

AN ANOMALOUS POSITION DEPUTATION TO MINISTER OF EDUCATION That the holder of a scholarship of an amount more than £ls can not be the holder of a junior free place at a secondary school without tho payment of fees was tho burden of a complaint made to tho Minister of Education (the Hon. R. A. Wright) by ft deputation from the High School Board of Governors this morning. The Acting Chairman of the hoard (Mr Stephens) said that the free place regulations as at present laid down wore such that free places were not tenable at secondary schools by scholars who were in receipt of scholarships of more than £SO a year (where the pnbil was living away from home) and £ls a year if not obliged to live away from home. The matter was of particular interest to the Otago High Schools’ Board, continued Mr Stephens, because a Mr Harrop, under his will, had provided a scholarship for tho children of Oddfellows amounting to £25. The circumstance was brought under notice of tho department, and the department had held that, according to the regulations, a free place could not be held with tho scholarship, which meant that if a pupil won this scholarship ho or she had to pay his school fees out of it. The board bad con- , ferred with the department on the | matter, and tho department had suggested the amount be divided into two scholarships of £lO each and another of £6. This was thought to he a good nlan. but tho question had risen again because the late Mr John Blair had left a fund to provide scholarships for orphan children. The trustees had decided not to grant scholarships to those highest in the results of the examinations, but to those who needed them most, and this practice had actually been carried out. The carrying out of the present regulations meant that preference was given to children of wealthy people, as r.hev were able to obtain free places, hut a poor child winning this scholarshin could not do so, as the State reauired the child to pay a part of tho amount of scholarship over £ls in value to it. Tho board thought that this was a state of affairs that should not bo allowed to continue, and he thought that when the regulations were drafted they were not meant to apply to scholarships created by private benevolence, but only to scholarships granted bv the Government. A way to overcome the difficulty would be to increase tho limit of £1,5 to £25 for private scholarships, which would meet tho present position. Mr J. M. Gallaway: Why not exempt private scholarships from the regulations altogether? If we # could get people to give money, wo might find it possible where necessary to send poor children to secondary school hostels. The Minister said that it looked, on tho face of it. as if the regulations resulted in cases of hardship, and he promised to go into the matter. Tho need for further playing areas in connection with the Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools was also stressed by the deputation, Mr Stephens stating that the ground at the present Girls’ School was quite insufficient to meet the demands of 400 girls. At the Boys’ High School the City Council had helped to relievo the position by granting the school tho prior rinht to the use of the Asylum Ground. It was hoped that in connection with tho new school at South Dunedin tho matter of playing areas would be fully considered. Tho Minister said that there seemed a good deal in what had been said about additional playing grounds being required, and he would go further into the matter