DIRTY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18465, 28 January 1922, Page 6

DIRTY SCHOOL CHILDREN

ASTONISHING VICTORIAN IN V EST’IGATION S. (From Odb Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, January 18. Some astonishing revelations regarding the unoieanlineas of many, school children in all parts of Victoria are contained in tho annual report of medical officers of toe Victorian Education department. The officers point out that while the majority of the children in the schools were exceedingly’ well cored for in respect of cleanliness of skin and clothing a considerable number in every district showed a shocking condition of ‘ neglect. In such cases the skin was ingrained with dirt, and the underclothing, oven when it was not poor or torn, had probably been worn for many montha without washing. This, of course, conduced to the presence of parasites of all kinds. Fleas were particularly common. In view of ■ the possibilities of a plague epidemic that was a matter of no smaE importance. At first one felt that the mother, was deserving of condemnation for the sad state of affairs. It seemed not too much to ask that the children should fco bathed and washed regularly. Inquiries as to the date when the child last had a bath, were quite futile—it had long been forgotten. If one asked if they had a bataroom at homo a negative answer was certain. Usually the answer would indicate that there was not even a wash-house. The medical officers also presented a report to the department in regard to attendance defaulters. They pointed out that some of the defaulters were truants, and their disKke to school was often found to be due to hitherto undetected physical defect, such aa deafness or bad sight. How the officer asked, oould anyone expect a half-blind or very deaf child to take tho same interest in his school work as a normal child. What to an ordinary child was clear out and well defined, to him was blurred, and seen and heard only by a definite effort. The child could not make that continued effort for long; he lest interest, his attention wandered, he tell behind in his class, was reprimanded for restlessness and laziness, and soon school, with its frequent scoldings, became hateful to him, truancy ensued, and led too often to the children's court, and later to a life of vice and crime. Included in that group were children unable to profit by attendance at an ordinary school—the feeble minded.