UNANIMOUS APPROVAL

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 4872, 18 July 1936, Page 5

UNANIMOUS APPROVAL

CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS. SUPPORT IN CENTRAL TARANAKI. Unanimous approval was given to any scheme for the consolidation of schools, such as has been done at Pio Pio and Otorohanga, by the Central Taranaki School Committees' Association on Thursday. The decision was reached after an address upon the advantages of consolidation had been made by Mr. H. W. Insull, secretary of the Taranaki Education Board.

In a grade I. school a sole teacher had to attend to 17 or 18 children in eight to ten separate classes, said Mr. Insull, and the time-table then had to be highly organised with the teacher flitting from one group to another. If a teacher fell ill it was impossible for a relieving teacher to take up the reins immediately. Whereas children attending small schools were haphazard in habits, there was a discipline about school buses that was advantageous. The pupil was picked up at a definite time every morning and returned similarly each night, being under constant supervision all the intervening time. Similarly bigger boys would tend to have the "corners knocked off them" in the larger schools, which was good for them. The collection of children at a central school was an advantage to both the central school and the outlying schools, because the greater the number of pupils the greater the number of teachers and the greater the efficiency of the class system. Although there was a motion before the meeting that delegates should call special meetings of householders in each Central Taranaki school district to discover the trend of opinion, it was decided after Mr. Insull's address to withdraw the motion, unanimous approval being given to the policy of consolidation. The Midhirst district was indicated as a region in which consolidation would be worth while. It was also pointed out that the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Fraser, had stated that where the school building was the only place for community gatherings the school building would be maintained if it were not used as a school as the result of a consolidation policy.