SIZE OF SCHOOL CLASSES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19940, 8 May 1928, Page 10

SIZE OF SCHOOL CLASSES.

EFFORTS TOWARD REDUCTION STATEMENT BY MINISTER. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. I WELLINGTON. Mondny. Details of an effort which was being made by the Education Department to reduce the size of classes in schools and some of the difficulties in its way were placed before delegates at the annual meeting this evening of the New Zealand Educational Institute by the Minister of Education, Hon. R. -A. Wright.

"Much has been said recently in regard to the size of clases in schools,' said the Minister, "and I understand tiiat the platform of the institute proposes 35 pupils as a limit which any ono teacher should have iu his class. Before the size can be reduced, however, the department must provido suitable buildings and additional classrooms. The cost of this would be enormous and could be provided only gradually. "Mucn has, however, already been done by remodelling some of the existing ouildlugs and adding to others, and the result has been that the number of pupils per teacher in primary schools has been reduced considerably.

"While between 191b and 192b the school roll had increased by 24,000, the number of pupils to each adult teacher had been reduced from 40 to 35. There had also been a steady decrease in the size of classes. In 1924 there were 677 classes of over 60 children; in 1926, 187 classes of over 60 children; and in Feb ruary, 192b, 99 classes of over 60 children. "The regulations permitted an additional assistant in exceptional circumstances, and to meet, the case in those 99 schools, 71 additional assistants had been provided, while the other classes had been reorganised. The result had been that the number of large classes had been reduced. In no case where relief could not be afforded through reorganisation bad assistance been withheld."