PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 158, 20 June 1935, Page 4

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Napier Committees United STRENGTHENING THEIR HAND At the annual meeting of the Napier branch of the Hawke’s Bay School Committees’ Association there was a representative gathering of committee men, representing the Hastings Street, Nelson Park, Central. Port Ahuriri, To Awa and Intermediate schools of Napier. Apologies for absence were received from Messrs. Tonkin, Cooke, Gilford, Peake and Sinclair. The-meeting was opened by Mr Tait, who explained the Hiles and objects of the association. 'The chief aim of the association is to strengthen the hands of the local school committees, thus ensuring united action in their dealings with the , Education Department. For some time ■ past Napier teachers have felt that j they have laboured under a disadvan- ( tago in their dealings with the Educa- | tiou Board in that thev had only the ( separate school committees to represent them and no united body which , could enforce the due consideration by ] the board of their demands. 'I bo , present association owes its existence j to the action of the Port School Com- , mittee in taking steps to revitalise the " association, which had become practically defunct. A similar course is being I taken by Hastings teachers, thus I bringing these two towns in line with ' the larger centres with whose associa- ■ tiou the local ones desire to be ulti- i Safely joined. I lie proposed rules were adopted a- ; : dralted. with two slight amendments. I lie election ol officers resulted as j 1 follows:—President. M- J. A. McLean; ' vice-president, Mr C. A. Wood; secre- c tary and treasurer, Mr J. Thorp: t executive, Messrs. -I. A. McLean and c W. J. Ireland (Nelson Park). It Gif- t

ford and G. H Peake (Central), Hayhurst and Bradley (Te Awa). Following the election of officers the chair was taken by Mr J. A. McLean. A motion, moved by Mr Tait and seconded by Mr Hayhurst, “that the meeting urge upon the Education Board the desirability of leaving the children of forms 1 and 2 at their respective schools till 1936,” was carried. It was also moved by Mr McLean, and seconded by Mr Mcßride, “That this representative meeting of the primary schools’ committees urge upon the Minister of Education the need for the reorganisation of the education system, and that a National Board of Education be set up to handle the education policy and go into the whole question with a view to bringing about drastic improvements in the system.” The meeting devined to send a copy of this motion to Mr W. 14. Barnard, M.P. A further resolution carried was, “That this annual meeting of the Napier branch of the School Committees’ Association urges upon the Minister of Education the desirability of filling the vacancy on the Secondary Schools Board (Mr. Asher’s seat) with a, schools’ committee representative." It was felt by those present that since the children of forms 1 and 2 were the secondary school pupils of the future they should have their future interests considered by primary school teachers. A motion was carried, “that this meeting urges upon the Minister of Education the necessity for tho readmittance of the five-year-olds not later than the end of the present year.”