SECONDARY EDUCATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13866, 28 September 1908, Page 6

SECONDARY EDUCATION.

FREE PLACE SCHOLARS. A WELLINGTON PROTEST. [BY TELEGRAPH. PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Saturday. At a meeting .of the Wellington College Board of Governors, the chairman (Mr. A. Do B. Brandon) submitted an important memorandum on tho question of free places. He said it was necessary to oensider the propriety of increasing the fees, in order to pay such salaries as would tempt men of education to adopt and remain in >tbs profession of teaching, and also to add to the staff such additional members as appear to be necessary to relieve the overwork brought about by excessively-large classes, and to enable more individual, attention to be given. Tho governors were, to some extent, deprived of this power, and had incurred a diminution in their receipts by agreement to take in boys under the free-place system, at a fee fixed by statute, but the loss did not promise to be more than the increase .of income consequent on the reletting of some of the college endowments. The admission of free-place pupils to tho Girls' College on terms that accommodation only was provided by the Government, altered.'.'he-as-pect of affairs. "I of "opinion," said Mr. Baudot!","'"'"That the admission of. aetj-place pupils to the Girls' College will have a much more disturbing effect ou the income of that institution than in the case of the Wellington College, and, if that should be so, the board will be quite unable to provide efficient instruction from the revenue at its command. Taking the Government fee at £10 per pupil, and 20 pupils as the average class, tho utmost the board can receive in fees is £200 a year per teacher, out of which to pay the teacher and other outlay not covered by the income from endowments, and it is absurd to suppose that, while paying an average salary of under £200 a year, the board can get a really experienced staff for the college. In the case of the boys' free places, the situation is compromised by the addition of £10,000 worth of buildings, giving more accomodation than will probably be called for by the free place attendants. Conditions which would not be taken into account where boys were concerned are of vital importance when administering for.girls. It may, I think, be taken as certain that within a year or two after the general adoption of the free place scheme at the Girls' College, the attendance will bo confined to freeplace pupils. With 170 pupils the income will be reduced by some £510, and this added to tho present known annual deficiency will make the loss on the Girls' College over £1200 per annum.' The position is, therefore, this, that the hoard may shortly be found managing the institution and hearing the results criticised from a professional point of vi".w, while an absolute limit is sot upon its income but no limit otn its obligations. The question of free places at the Girls' College should be reconsidered, and its beaiv ing (1) upon the financial position and (2) upon future attendance examined in detail."

Miss Mary McLean, principal of the Girls' High School, wrote .that she viewed with alarm the statement that the governors had agi'eed to receive free-place pupils before ascertaining what the Government was prepared to do. The Inspector-General of Schools (Mr. G. Hogben) wrote inquiring if the board desired to elect to come under section 93 of the" Act, and admit under' the regulations all qualified pupils who wished to attend such secondary schools. Capitation was payable only to such schools that actually did at the present time provide free places in accordance with the regulations. He wished to know whether tho Girls' College elected to come under section 93 by providing free places in accordance with the regulations, in order that he might certify accordingly to the Audit Office that the grants might legally be paid. The board resolved, "That the question ni electing to come under section 93, so far as the Girls' College is concerned, be postponed until tho board receives some indication of the extent to which the Government will go in supplementing the resources of the Girls' College, and that the Inspector-General of Schools be informed accordingly."