EDUCATION POLICY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 30 September 1927, Page 7

EDUCATION POLICY

MINISTER’S REPLY TO CRITICISM PRESENTATION OF TECHNICAL REPORT, QUESTION OF HOSTELS. (Special io “Tribune.”) Parlt. Buildings, Sept. 30. Defence of the policy he was following in regard to education was made by the Minister of Education (Hon. R. A. Wright) when replying in the House of Representatives yesterday to various criticisms made during the course of a discussion which followed the presentation of the technical education report dealing witli the question of hostels. I’he Minister said that it was not considered unreasonable that hostels be asked to make a return of five per cent, on capital expenditure, for it had occurred that when these institutions were’ built they catered mostly for pupils from a distance who could very well attend schools in their own districts. A hostel was purely and simply a business undertaking. If parents chose to send their children to hostels from other parts of New Zealand they should pay for it.

Replying to a suggestion made by a member, the Minister said that he did not think it possible to amalgamate technical schools and high schools where there was a good technical school in operation. Where overlapping occurred was where there were half-filled classes at technical schools and high schools. The rechnical schools erected, however, were practically fully occupied and many were asking for additional accommodation .

NO CHEESE-PARING METHODS.

The Minister denied emphatically he was . pursuing cheese-paring methods. There had, he said, been a close investigation of the position in order to eliminate anything in the nature of waste. That policy might be making him unpopular, but he could not help that. One direction in which he had endeavoured to effect a change was in checking the practice of pupils in the country districts going past a small technical school in the country and going to a bigger school in the cities. It could not be expected that the Department would pay travelling expenses of such children.

PREVENTION OF UNNECESSARY CLASSES.

There had been no attempt on his part to restrict the work of the technical schools, said the Minister. What the Department was trying to do was to prevent unnecessary classes—hobby classes they might be called.

Air. E. J. Howard (Christchurch South) : What’s a hobby class ? The Minister: Well, a number of people might get together and want to learn carpentering or so««»thing like that; that would be a hobby class.

Mr. G. W. Forbes (Hurunui): Beer-drinking is a hobby with some people. (Laughter).