NATIONAL COUNCIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19698, 26 July 1927, Page 5

NATIONAL COUNCIL.

THE EDUCATION SYSTEM.

REPLIES FROM DEPARTMENT.

A meeting of the National Council of Women was held last evening, the president, Miss Carnachan, presiding. A letter to the Dominion secretary of the council from Mr. T. B. Strong, Director of Education, in reply to a deputation to the Minister of Health, contained the following statements:—Satisfactory experiments had been made with regard to paper towels for schools. The subject of subnormal children was at present under discussion with the Health. and Mental Hospital Departments. Civics was being tau£ht at the Government schools. The department had never opposed the appointment of a woman teacher to the highest position in primary schools, provided she was capable of filling such a position. As the law now stood it was for an education board, in conjunction with a senior inspector of schools, to determine whether a married woman teacher was not more suitable for any particular position than an unmarried teacher. At least 400 married women were teaching in New Zealand. The following resolution was sent to the Minister of Justice:—That the National Council of Women urges that provision should be made whereby on the complaint of a parent, guardian, the police or a probation officer, a magistrate would be enabled to bring under proper control and supervision young persons over 16 and not. over 21, without recording a conviction against them. Under the present ruling there was no method of dealing with young people over 16 who were difficult to manage unless they came up for conviction before a magistrate. Many o£ these young people who had got beyond the age of the Children's Court needed legal restraint in some way, and it was suggested that some probationary methods should be put into practice. Miss Jean Begg, who was trained as a social worker in the United States, said the matter was efficiently dealt with there with legislation, by which young people of 16 to 21 could be put under supervision of welfare officers when incorrigible or out of control, at the request of parents or guardians.