ECONOMY IN EDUCATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20898, 13 June 1931, Page 11

ECONOMY IN EDUCATION.

NATURE OF THE CUTS. CONCERN AMONG TEACHERS. Concern regarding the nature of possible further economies in education was expressed by speakers at a meeting of Auckland members of the New Zealand Federation of Teachers last evening. Mr. H. A. Jones said that apparently it had been decided that, the education voto had to be reduced by £500,000 or more. If such a policy were put into 1 operation, a grave injury would be inflicted upon the bove and girls of the present generation, and its effects would be reflected iu a. lower national efficiency in the future. Mr. A. B. Fordvre said what economies had been brought about, were only ' "cheese-paring" compared with what wa? [ forecast. 1 Referring to the post-primary course, 1 Mr. G. M. Littlejohn said the secondary ' svstem w-as the "bad boy ' of the family, 1 and it had come in for a good deal of ' criticism. If secondary education were 1 curtailed, boys and girls leaving school > would find it- very difficult to obtain em--5 ployment. It was decided to urge upon the Prime Minister the need for great, care in cur- ' tailing expenditure on education, in view 1 of possible injurv to the rising generation > and detriment to the efficiency of the count rv. ]\lr. G. J. Park raised the question of the personnel of the proposed Economy Committee of Education. He said a majority of the. members of the committee probably would not- be, familiar with education. ''There is a. grave danger in handing the pruning-knife to such people," he said. It was decided to urge that any committee set up to consider curtailments in education should be sufficiently representative of experienced educationists. A resolution was carried pointing out 1 that, cuts already imposed had had a detrii mental effect upon children.