EDUCATION ECONOMIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21118, 27 February 1932, Page 10

EDUCATION ECONOMIES.

FUTURE POSSIBILITIES.

RAISING OF SCHOOL AGE. THE TRAINING OF TEACHERS. STATEMENT BY MINISTER. [BY TELEGRArH.—SPECIAL RETORTF-H. ] WELLINGTON. Friday. A hint was given by tho Minister of Education, Hon. R. Masters, to-day that tho raising of tho school starting age in the interests of economy might bo among the recommendations of the Economy Commission which is iipw examining departmental expenditure, including every phase of education costs. Tho Minister added that the seriousness of tho financial situation made it impossible to say how far (lie strength of the teaching profession and the number of children receiving education would have In be reduced in the future.

Replying to a deputation from Dunedin protesting against any proposal to close tho Dunedin Teachers' Training College, tho Minister said the position was largely one of finance, so far as the training colleges of New Zealand were concerned. "You know tho financial position of tho country," he said. "You know revenue lias been slipping backbadly for some time. lam sorry for the Minister of Finance. He is having a most difficult time, but ho has a more difficult period than ever ahead nf him for the, next year or two. Knowing this, I deem it my duty to assist him in every possible way to effect economies without doing any injury to the children of tho Dominion. "Far Too Many Trained." "There is a largo number of unemployed teachers to-day, because there have been far too many teachers trained in the past five or six years. To-day wo are reaping the result of this overtraining. It has been my unpleasant duty to reduce the numbers going into our colleges and consequently these institutions are not so full to day as they have been. "What the future has in store it is difficult, to say. The Economy Commission which is sitting has gone closely into tho education question and I have no doubt they have made inquiry into the difficult to say. The Economy Commission may make recommendations that will affect the number of children trained in the next few years. I[ tl.e commission were to suggest that instead of five years we should not take children until they reach the age of six it would, as you know, mean reducing the grades of schools all over the Dominion, a reduction in the number of teachers employed and in those required to be (rained. Lower Costs in Australia. "We do not know what the future holds. This is one of the questions that has yet to receive careful consideration." Speaking of'the number of training colleges in New Zealand, the Minister said the Dominion was most generous, not only in the allocation of the training colleges, but, also in the number of teachers in training. New Zealand hod four training colleges, Queensland had one. New South Wales two, Victoria two (reduced from three), and South Australia one. In proportion to the. number of teachers training colleges were distributed as follows:—Queensland, one college to 4151 teachers; New South Wales, one to 5193 teachers; Victoria, one to 6233 teachers; South Australia, one to 3121 teachers; and New Zealand, one to 1998 teachers. The cost, of training showed similar results. Queensland had spent 1.8 per cent, of the total education vote fin training, Victoria 2 per cent., South Australia 3.9 per cent., New South Wales 2.8 per cent., and New Zealand 4.2 per cent. "We have to reduce our expenditure and, in spite of what anyone may say, the Education Department has to meet its fair share of the burden. We could avoid making some of these economies if the. taxabjo capacity of the people had not been reached and if it were possible to go on imposing further taxation," said tho Minister of Finance, Hon. W. Downie Stewart. "The taxpayer of this country has just about, reached his capacity to pay and when that happens something has to give way somewhere. 1 think everything that, has been dono in the past two years will fade into insignificance in the light of what wo will have to face up to in tho next two years."