EDUCATION REPORT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 16 July 1938, Page 8

EDUCATION REPORT

AGE OF ADMISSION EFFECT OF THE REDUCTION [From Our Owo Parliamentary Reporter) # WELLINGTON. This Day. As a result of the lowering of the age of admission to school to five years, approximately 17,400 children under six years of age were in the schools during the year, stated the annual report of the Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser), \yhich was tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. This provision has now become fully operative The report stated also that it was deemed advisable at the beginning of the year to admit 607 division A and 76 graduate students to the training colleges to prepare for the reforms the Government had in view, namely, the raising of the school-leaving age to fifteen years and reduction in the size of classes. The total number of students in the four colleges was 1350, the largest they had ever had. PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION Referring to the abolition of the proficiency examination the Minister said there was good reason for believing that the abolition of the examination would be a milestone in the history of education in the Dominion. “The teachers have already accepted the freedom and the responsibility which is associated with it,” said Mr Fraser, "and I look forward to greatej* originality and greater initiative in the courses of work in the primary schools than has been the case in the past. I feel sure that the teachers will now endeavour to provide for their pupils as far ns possible the coi rse of work for which each has the most aptitude and inclination.” DENTAL TREATMENT Dealing with dental treatment, Mr Fraser said that in assuming office as Minister in December, 1935, he discovered that the number of student dental nurses admitted to the dental clinic in that year was only thirty, and that this number was barely sufficient to maintain, the system at its existing strength. In November of that year the number of nurses was fifty-three. At the present time it was 140. Twenty new clinics were being established in districts where until now this service had not been available, and the number of existing clinics had been strengthened so that more children could be treated. More training accommodation was being made available for the nurses.

Mr Fraser added that the milk-in-schools scheme was operating and efficiently. Out of a total school population in the Dominion of 282,000 there were 137,000 being supplied daily with a ration of milk. New schemes and extensions to existing schemes had been arranged to include q further 14.600 children. When these were functioning the total number of pupils receiving milk would be in the vicinity of 151,000.