COUNTRY CHILDREN

Grey River Argus, 17 December 1943, Page 6

COUNTRY CHILDREN

NEW BURSARIES For Secondary Education P.A. WELLINGTON, Dec. 16. Regulations making provision for secondary school bursaries for the post-primary education or country children are gazetted to-night. The Minister of (Education, ,-Mr. Mason said, these bursaries were being given to enable country children who passed the school certificate examination, or an equivalent examination recognised by the Director of Education, to spend one or two years in the sixth form of a suitable post-primary school. 'ine smaller district high school, with a staff or only one or two, or at most five or six teachers, could not provide the same instruction in advanced subjects for Sixth Form pupils as was available in larger post-primary schools. Moreover, the problem of the country child would be accentuated next year with the introduction of accrediting for entrance to the University. Under the new system of bursaries, every country child would be given an opportunity at the Sixth Form stage of attending a post-primary school on a list of schools approved for accrediting by the University;, and if his work was of a satisfactory standard, he mav thus be accredited for the University entrance examination. The new system of bursaries would come into operation in 1944. No bursaries -would be awarded to candidates not under the age of eighteen on January 15 of the year to which the application for a bursary, relates. The bursary would be tenable for one or two years at any state, secondary, combined, technical, or district high school on a list of schools approved by the University of New Zealand tor accrediting, and situated in the same education district as the applicant’s home or usual place of residence. The Director may, however, require a bursary to be tenable at a school other than the one named in the form of application. The maximum annual value of the secondary, school bursary would be forty pounds, and it would not be possible, except with the authority of the Director of Education, for a' pupil to hold a bursary while he was the holder of any other bursary or scholarship, grant or allowance. The Director also has authority to reduce the amount nf bursaries, th~e holders of which, while at school, will not be permitted to engage in any occupation, as the bursaries are 'intended for full-time pupils. •>. .Under the ilegulations it will be possible for secondary school bursaries to be awarded any child who has passed the school certificate examination or an equivalent examination approved for the purpose by, the Director, or who has been accredited for, oi’ has passed, the entrance examination of the University of New Zealand. Some of these latter pupils may wish to continue for University entrance scholarships. Applicants will be required to satisfy the Director, in order to attend the nearest school affording satisfactory tuition at the Sixth Form stage ne will be obliged to live away from home or his usual place of residence. The Minister states that applications for secondary school bursaries may oe made by candidates who have not yet passed the school certificate examination. but who sat for it this year, such applications to reach the Director of Education on or before January 15.