“GLORIFIED NDERGARTENS”

Evening Star, Issue 20118, 7 March 1929, Page 5

“GLORIFIED NDERGARTENS”

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS OPPOSED [Pee United Peess Association.] INVERCARGILL, March 6. The annual conference of the Federation of South Island School Committees was- opened here this morning. The Chairman (Mr A, W. Jones, Invercargill), in the course of his address, said that eo far as the junior high schools were concerned he had always opposed the suggestion, for. it was estimated that the cost of establishment would be £850,000 as well as the annual cost of upkeep. “We must educate the public not to let this costly experiment be forced on them,” he said. “We do not want glorified kindergartens introduced into our secondary education.” The system of education should have a bias towards agriculture rather than towards the professions, which were overcrowded, he added. The following office-bearers were elected:—President, Mr W. Gibb (Timaru); vice-presidents, Messrs W. H. Steele (Dunedin) and T. W. West (Christchurch); secretary and treasurer, Mr J. W. Preen (Timaru); executive—Messrs J. A. B. Walker (Invercargill), J. Somerville (Dunedin), G. P. Purnell (Christchurch), T. C. Palliser (Timaru), and C. W. Patton (Invercargill). The conference adopted remits asking the Education Department to consider an alteration to the Act to enable the forwarding of voluntary contributions to be dispensed with in all cases where the money has again to be refunded to committees by the board; urging that inspectors submit a report on the results of a school’s w r ork for the year for presentation at the annual householders’ meetings; protesting against centralisation; recommending the establishment of a savings bank in all primary schools; urging the question of the consolidation of country schools upon the department: supporting the Southland motion that representations be made to the Minister asking him to consider the advisability of amending the Act so that the present regulations governing the selection and appointment of head masters and assistants be revised, and that boards be given full discretionary powers to make an appointment where two or more candidates are within a margin of ten marks on the grading list. AN EARLY DECISION. [Peb United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, March 6. The Minister of Education (the Hon. H. Atmore) stated to-day that he could not withhold making a pronouncement in regard to junior high schools till the teachers were in conference in May. Ho was, however, anxious to confer with the teachers, and was offering to meet the executives of the Educational Institute, the Secondary Schools’ Association, and the Technical School Teachers’ Association within the next three or four weeks. School buildings were being asked for all over the dominion, and if the junior high school system was decided upon some of the buildings and extensions being asked fox- would not he needed.