EDUCATION BOARDS

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 May 1935, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARDS

CONFERENCE DECISIONS

[per PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

WELLINGTON, May 24

A desirs for an amendment of the Education Act of 1933, so as to provide for the annual retirement of approximately half of the members of the school committees, and for an election to fill the vacancies, was expressed' by. the Conference of Education uuarus. At present the Act provides for biennial elections, the first of which

took place last year. A remit was carried that, in view of the expiry in 1937, of the contract for the supply of school text books, the conference strongly represented to the Minister the advisability of the Department securing the services of most capable educationalists for the preparation of new matter covering the respective subjects of curriculum; that the Department retain the copyright of all of the subject matter so prepared: and that, subsequently, tenders be called for the printing of the issue of such new school text books.

Another remit urged the increasing of the education.vote, owing to an adverse effect of economies introduced in 1932, which were never intended to be a permanent part of the education system.

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER.

WELLINGTON, May 24.

An increase of school building maintenance grants, and also in reduction of the minimum entrance age of children, were requested by a deputation from the Education Boards’ Association, which waited on the Minister of Education to-day. The Association also urged that their conference should, in future, be called annually by the Minister. They asked that the law restricting to not more than 5 per cent, the expenditure of grants on maintenance, should be repealed.

Replying to the request for increased grants for building and maintenance, the Minister said he was endeavouring to see how much money he could get from the Public Works Fund. He did not propose to repeal tho 5 per cent, grant restriction. The subject of the exclusion of the five-year-olds was at the moment sub judice. So long as he was Minister, the conference would be held annually.

SCHOOL JUBILEE

MASTERTON, May 24

Tho golden jubilee of the Kouparanga School was celebrated to-day in the presence of about three hundred people. Commemorative gates, erected by local residents, were opened by Mr. Roderick D. McKenzie, one of the first pupils of the school fifty years ago. The principal speaker was Colonel T. W. McDonald, member of the Wellington Education Board, and others were Messrs. G. R. Sykes, M.P., T. Jordan (Mayor of Masterton), and T. Miss (ex-member of the Education Board). The Chairman of tire School Committee, Mrs. R. Miller, presided. In the evening a concert and dance were held.