THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21580, 27 February 1932, Page 12

THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

URGENT NEED FOR ECONOMY REDUCTION IN EXPENDITURE STATEMENT BY MINISTER (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, February 26. A hint was given by the Minister of Education (Mr R. Masters) to-day that the raising of the school starting age in the interests of economy might be among the recommendations of the Economy Commission which was now examining the departmental expenditure, including every phase of education costs. The Minister added that the seriousness of. the financial situation made it impossible to say how far the strength of the teaching profession and the number of children receiving education would have to be reduced in the future. Replying to a deputation from Dunedin protesting against any proposal to close the Dunedin Teachers’ Training College, the Minister said the position was largely one of finance so far as the training colleges of New Zealand were concerned. “You know the financial position of the country,” he said. “ You know that the revenue has been slipping back badly. for some time. I am sorry for the Minister of Finance. He is having a most difficult time, but he has a more difficult period than ever ahead of 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 the Dominion. There is a large number of unemployed teachers to-day because, as you - know, there have been far too many teachers trained in the past five or six years. To-day we are reaping the result of this over-training. It haa""been my unpleasant duty to reduce the numbers going into our colleges, and consequently these institutions ire 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 the education question, and I have no doubt it has made an inquiry into the teachers’ aspect of it. This commission may make recommendations that will affect the number of children trained in the next few years. If the 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 trained. 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 this Dominion was the most generous, not only in the allocation of its training colleges, but also in the number of teachers trained, of any part of Australasia, New Zealand had 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 the training colleges were distributed as follow: —Queensland one college to 4151 teachers, New South Wales one to 5195, Victoria one to 6235, South Australia one to 3121, and New Zealand one to 1998. The cost of training showed a similar comparison. Queensland spent 1.8 per cent, of its total education vote on 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. It would be seen, Mr Masters continued, that in addition to a large number of training colleges, the training of teachers in this country was in excess of at least three Australian States by more than 100 per cent, so far as the cost was concerned. “ When the Minister of Finance examines this position,” Mr Masters added, “he will ask me to bring New Zealand into line with the Australian States. Candidly, I derive.no pleasure in effecting these economies, but it happens to be my job for the time being. I realise we are up against a serious financial proposition in this country. We have to reduce our expenditure, and in spite of what anyone might say the Education Department has to meet its fair share of the burden.”