SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 253, 22 September 1933, Page 12

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

PENDING REGULATIONS. ELECTION DAY AFFECTED. Primary school terms and holidays, henceforth, will.be fixed by regulations framed by the Education Department, and will be universal throughout the Dominion. A draft of the regulations it is intended to enforce was before the Wanganui Education Board on Wednesday. The secretary (Mr J. H. S. Bree) explained that there was no conflict from usual practice in the proposals as they affected the terms and holidays, but there were two points about the regulations which required attention. The first was in relation to Parliamentary election day. The regulations provided that only those schools which were used as polling booths should observe a holiday on election day. The board, on the other hand, had a by-law to the effect that all schools in its district should close. If the regulations, as framed at present, came into force, that by.-law would be ultra vires. Mr J. K. Hornblow: Will we have elections—when there is a dictator in New Zealand P (Laughter.) Colonel J. H. Whyte was of opinion that it should be compulsory for school buildings to be used as polling booths on election day. Money was being wasted everywhere in hiring halls. The board decided to express its disapproval of the suggested regulation regarding election day closing. Proceeding, Mr Bree said that the proposed regulations took away from the board its right to grant a limited number of holidays in each year for special purposes, and transferred the right to the Director of Education. It was decided to oppose this suggested change. DEFINITE DATES. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY. Draft regulations fixing school terms and holidays, to come into operation at the beginning of next year, have been reecived by education boards. Details of the regulations, under the Education Amendment Act, 1932-33, are as follow : PRIMARY SCHOOLS. Every primary school shall be open during the following terms: (a) The first term shall begin on the first day of February or the fifth Monday of the calendar year, whichever is the later; provided that whenever the first day of February falls on Thursday, the first term shall begin on the Monday of the following week. The first term shall end on the Friday immediately, preceding the 19th Monday of the calendar year. (b) The second term shall begin on the 21st Monday of the calendar year , and shall end on the Friday immediately preceding the 34th Monday of the calendar year. _: (c) The third term shall begin on the 36th Monday of the calendar year and shall end on the 19th day of December; provided that in any year in which the 19tli day of December falls on Saturday, Sunday. Monday, or Tuesday, the third term shall end on the Friday immediately preceding. SECONDARY SCHOOLS. Every secondary school, technical school, combined school, and teachers’ training college shall be open during the following terms: (a) The first term shall begin on the first day of February or the fifth Monday of the calendar year, whichever is the later; provided that whenever the first day of February falls on Thursday, the first term shall begin on Monday in the following ■week, provided also that whenever Monday is required by this sub-clause to be the opening day. of the first term, the governing body of a school may, at its discretion, substitute therefor the Tuesday immediately following. The first-term shall end on the Thursday or Friday immediately preceding the 19th Monday of the calendar year, according as the governing body may in its discretion decide. (b) The second term shall begin on the 21st Monday of the calendar year, or, at the discretion of the governing body, on the Tuesday immediately following tins Monday, and shall end on the Thursday or Friday immediately preceding the 34th Monday of the calendar year, according as the governing body may in its discretion decide. (c) The third term shall begin on the 37th Monday of the calendar year, or, at the discretion of the governing body, on the Tuesday immediately fallowing this Monday, and shall end on the 19th day of December ; provided that whenever the 19th day of December falls on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, the third term shall end on the Thursday or Friday, immediately preceding ; provided, however, that the governing body may, at its discretion, fix the end of the third term one day earlier for each occasion during the year on which the school observed Monday as the opening day of a term. SINGLE HOLIDAYS. All schools may be closed on the following days:—Good Friday, Easter Monday’, Easter Tuesday, Anzac Day, birthday of the reigning Sovereign, Labour Day, Anniversary Day of the province, the day. of a Parliamentary election (if the school building is required for electoral purposes). An education board, or the governing body of a secondary school, a technical school, or a combined school, or, with the consent of the education board of the district, a school committee, shall have power to grant additional school holidays not exceeding three day's or six half-days in any one calendar year. ■On the application of an education board or the govering body of a school, the Director may, at his discretion, approve of the granting of any holiday not otherwise provided for in the regulations, but no such holiday shall be granted without the approval of the Director.

The Director may from time to time approve of such variation in the requirements of these regulations as may be necessary to meet special climatic or other conditions existing in any education district.