SCHOOL ACCOMMODATION

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 February 1945, Page 7

SCHOOL ACCOMMODATION

POSITION SERIOUS > The Technical High I School is faced with a serious pro!1 blem in the shortage of classrooms for ■ pupils and in the shortage of staff, particularly as far as the manual instruction classes are concerned. With large increases in the .number of pupils, the school is entitled to two further teachers and doubt is entertained by the Principal, Mr W. Stewart, that these can be obtained. Advocating the erection of another storey to the central portion of the school, building, thus permanently solving the accommodation problem and at the same time providing a suitable staffroom and other amenities lacking at the present time, the Principal has written to the Department of Education on the subject. He made a proposal that temporary relief could be obtained by the erection > of three classrooms of the prefabricated type or the obtaining of some suitable building from an abandoned army camp. He reported at last evening’s meeting of the Board of Governors of the School that the Department had suggested that if f urther rooms were essential the old workshops could be taken over as a classroom. Mr Stewart stated that he had replied unfavourably to this suggestion, pointing out that a brick wall would have to be removed from the centre of the building and to make completely waterproof a new roof would have to be added. Other extensive alterations also would have to be made to convert the room into two small classrooms and the ex • nense would not be worth the result, while the problem still would not «be solved, another room being required. His own wish was to see the workshops converted to a gymnasium which the school was lacking. In his report to the Board, the Principal further referred to the acute accommodation position. “A vital difficulty,” he stated, “is that of accommodation, in which respect we shall be three rooms short if the school, is to be efficiently worked. The difficulty is increased by our total lack of any of the ordinary facilities by which other schools meet such temporary problems, viz., library, hall, gymnasium, etc. I have approached the Department on the subject. The school is at present working on a time-table which provides for some classes of over-large size; e.g., six of the classes number 48, 45, 44, 39, 39 and 37. This is not so bad as a temporary expedient, but equid not go on indefinitely.” . The Principal’s action m endeavouring to alleviate the position was approved. STAFF SHORTAGE “The staffing difficulties can, I hope, be overcome with patience and the co-operation of the teachers, said the Principal, referring to this asnect of the problem. One other teacher had resigned, he reported and was due. to leave at the end of the month, but it was likely that, unless he could be replaced by that time, the loss of a teacher with the present number of pupils, would present difficulty.’ The increase m roll numbers, under the staffing regulations which are in force, calls for a further two teachers,” he went on. “If these' can be obtained, which is rather doubtful, the total strength of the high school staff will be. 17 in addition to the manual training staff of four. This added point to the fact that the present staff-room is utterly inadequate. It was so, even when the staff numbered nine or ten. ror the present staff it is frankly disgi aceful ” Mr Stewart detailed his endeavours . to obtain permanent or temporary teachers for the cookery classes, adding that, the inability to secure these teachers had made it necessaqry to hold the manual cookery work in abeyance in the meantime, but tne woodwork classes were going on as usual. Every effort was being- made to secure temporary teachers . until permanent ones could be appointed, and the full programme would be resumed at the earliest possible moment.