GETTING TO SCHOOL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 236, 18 September 1936, Page 4

GETTING TO SCHOOL

Allowances for Secondary Pupils APPRECIATED SERVICES “We have been endeavouring for a number of years to get some assistance in this direction and we are very pleased .that at last we have got it,” said Mr. W. A. G. Penlington, principal ol the Hastings High School this morning, when interviewed concerning the assistance that is to be given in the mtdlter of conveyance of pupils attending secondary schools.

Mr. Penlington mentioned that for some time the primary school pupils had been able to obtain some assistance, but similar help from the Education Department in response to the representations made on behalf of the secondary schools of New Zealand had been denied. “I can assure you,” he said, “that we will all be very pleased that at last our efforts have been successful 111 securing some assistance to the parents of pupils who are residing some distance from the school.” As to what extent pupils of the Hastings High School would benefit from the scheme, Mr. Penlington was unable to estimate at present. He had asked the pupils to make application and. up to the present stage it was anticipated that there would be about 35 applications to deal with. The general outline of the department’s policy in the matter of conveyance allowances was that 6d per return trip would be allowed pupils who were conveyed to the nearest post-primary school, provided the distance from home was more than three miles. Where the distance was more than five miles the allowance was 8d per return trip.

This allowance would not apply to pupils who travelled to school on bicycles. Consideration would also be given to applications for assistance towards the cost of travelling ol pupils from their homes in order to connect with railway or bus services. Provision was also made lor a boarding allowance of 5/- a week for each pupil who, through impracticability of conveyance, has to live from home in order to attend a post-primary school. This allowance, however, was not tenable where there was some other allowance made for board under a scholarship award. Applications have to be made in the first place by the parents and the necessary forms are available from alt principals and headmasters of secondary schools.