OVERCROWDED PUPILS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18355, 22 March 1923, Page 8

OVERCROWDED PUPILS.

GRAMMAR SCHOOLS' POSITION

PROBLEM FOR THE BOARD.

The question of providing still further accommodation for pupils attending schools under the jurisdiction of the Auckland Grammar Schools Board -was raised at the board's meeting yesterday, as the result of a request by the headmistress of the Howe Street School for another classroom and more cloakroom accommodation. '■ ' The chairman, A. P. W. Thomas, said the request involved the ■whole question of providing additional accommodation. He thought the Kowhai Junior High School would have the effect next year of diminishing the roll numbers. Were they to enlarge* the school or build another? The same thing applied to the boys' schools. The only satisfactory scheme was to erect another boys' school and another girls' school in the direction of Remuera. The time for obtaining financial grants from the Government, however, was not supposed to be propitious. Mr. J. Stanton : The time never will be propitious. Mr. J. H. Upton remarked that the question was a larger one than the board could deal with. The schools should be ahead of the population, but in three out of the four cases the schools were behind. It was not fair play. The board decided that the matter be left in the hands of the chairman, to confer with the heads of the schools. The roll numbers at the four schools at present are as follow: —Auckland Gram mar School, 849; Mount Albert 341; Auckland Girls' Grammar School, 526 Epsom, 439. The total number of pupils attending the four schools is thus 2165. iThe roll number last year was under 2000.