EDUCATION ECONOMY

Northern Advocate, 5 November 1931, Page 9

EDUCATION ECONOMY

TWO COLLEGES MAY CLOSE. A PERSISTENT RUMOUR. (Per Press Association.— Couyright.) DUNEDIN, This Day. Rumours are in circulation that as part of the proposed economy in the Education Department the training colleges in Dunedin and Wellington are to be closed and the students transferred to Christchurch and Auckland. Some confirmation is given the rumour by the Department’s notice that two lecturers at Dunedin College are to be transferred to Christchurch and Auckland. If the college here is closed it will mean the loss of £20,000 per year in the expenditure of students and in addition a loss of £IOOO a year in fees to Otago University.

RUMOURED CLOSING. A .VIGOROUS PROTEST. (Special to “Northern Advocate.-) DUNEDIN, Tliis Day. Commenting on the rumoured closing of the Dunedin Training College, Mr Wallace, chairman of the Education Board, said: “It will be exceedingly unfortunate if this should take place, as the Dunedin College is the oldest-established training college in New Zealand, its jubilee being celebrated several years ago. Students from the college arc to be found in every part of New Zealand, holding prominent positions. We may say that students who have passed through the college here have proved to be the best-equipped for the work. That is the statement of a man who knows the products of all the colleges in New Zealand.

"It has been rumoured that the present Minister of Education intends to do all he* can to effect economics under the regulations, and thus escape running the gauntlet of the Lower House. 1 fully realise that •economies can lie made in the Education Department, but starting on training colleges does not seem to me to be the method to economise without doing harm to the system. "I want to take exception to the manner in which this has been done,” said Mr Wallace in regard to the intimation that two of the lecturers were £o be transferred. “It seems to me that there lias been at least a lack of courtesy on the part of the Minister by abruptly intimating that, members of the staff are to be tiansferred without consulting the education board as to which of the lectinors could be first done without. If the reduction ot the staff were necessary, further, if the Dunedin College is to be closed, why not tell us at once and be done with it? Whilst the transfer is legal, it is unheard of in my experience for the department to make such an abrupt announcement and to ask that the transfers be carried out at once.” The staff of the Dunedin Training College comprises a principal, viceprincipal, eleven full'time lecturers and oho part-time lecturer. There are 220 stlidehts.

CONVEYANCE SYSTEMS. REVIEW REQUESTED. (Special to "Northern Advocate. ') AUCKLAND, Wednesday. In its campaign to cut down expense wherever possible the Education Department has now turned its attention to the conveyance of children to and from school. At this

mornings meeting of the Auckland Education Board a memorandum "was received from the Department asking the board to review conveyance systems at present in operation and also to report on methods of effecting economy in the systems. In the case of contracts that would shortly expire, the Department said it was considered that it would be as well to take early steps to raise the question of continuing the existing arrangements or of altering them. It was further pointed out. that conveyance routes should be shortened ...w.hcrever possible and side roads should., not be served where children could reasonably be expected to 'walk to the main road. At a time like the present householders could not expect that school buses should run past every house. As children were expected 1 6 walk distances up to threp miles (or two miles in the case of children under .10 years) to attend school it was not unreasonable to require them to walk a similar distance to meet a bus that would take them to school. A bus route should not bo unduly prolonged in order to serve an isolated child or small group of children; in such eases correspondence school tuition could most economically be used. Mr J. Patterson said he thought the board should raise a protest in' ; connection with the matter. Apparently the Department wanted the board.’* officers to investigate a question which they had previously gone into. The Department had already sanctioned the board’s contracts. “The Department is gradually whittling away our power and there will be no need for boards at all 3 f this sort of thing goes on,” he said. “The Department knows that we have cut down expense as much,as possible.” The chairman (M.r A. Burns): “It is costing over £IOO,OOO for the conveyance of school children in the Dominion.” Mr E. C. Purdie: “A good deal of the present travelling has been brought about by the consolidation of schools, so that there has been other saving.” On the motion of the chairman it was decided to take action as requested by the Department.