EDUCATION SYSTEM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22286, 12 June 1934, Page 10

EDUCATION SYSTEM

REPLY TO REPRESENTATIONS MINOR CHANGES FORESHADOWED (Special to Dailv Times.) WELLINGTON, June 11. Answering representations made by a deputation from the. Wellington School Committees and Educational Federation on May ,17, a letter was received at tonights monthly meeting of the federation from the Minister of Education, Mr R. Masters. No immediate concessions were made, but on several points it promised that changes might be effected when the Estimates are under consideration. Referring to the five-year-old question, the Minister pointed out that the Government had not passed the legislation without giving a very great deal of consideration and thought to the effect ot it upon the children, physically and educationally. He felt that the system had not been given the fair trial that it merited, and that it was too soon to form an accurate opinion in regard to its effects. For these reasons he was not prepared to take steps to remove the restrictions on the entrance of five-year-old children to the public schools. Conceruinn the staffing of schools, the Minister said that compared with other parts of the Empire, New Zealand did not stand badly with regard to the number of children taught per teacher. If there were in the' schools any very unwieldy classes the fact should be brought under the notice of the Wellington Education Board. He pointed out that for the appointment and promotion of teachers within their own school it would be necessary to recast the present regulations and salary schedules. He was not prepared to do this at the present time.. There were cases the Minister knew of in which it was hard to manage with the capitation paid to the school committees. Ihe boards had an additional amount to meet special circumstances, and when consideration of the Estimates was under review he proposed to ask the Cabinet to increase this sum to make provision for assistance in cases of hardship. “ The rationing of teachers,” continued the Minister, “ has given me a great deal of thought. It is my wish that every boy and girl who has passed through a training college should be placed in employment. At the beginning, of this year I found myself with no fewer than 18,000 unemployed teachers. I was faced with the difficulty of having only a certain amount of money that could be paid to these teachers, and in order to help the position I approached the Unemployment Board. With its assistance I was able to employ the whole of the unemployed teachers, but at a lower rate of salary. I have no desire to keep their salaries down, and if I can get the same amount of money next year as I received this year, with the smaller number of teachers the whole of the amount will be divided, so that each will receive.a greater amount of salary.”

The school leaving age was a very im?ortant question which had been occupying or a considerable time the attention of the education authorities in England. The age could not be extended without increasing the cost of education, and that could not receive favourable consideration at the present time. Mr Master said he proposed to ask Cabinet to restore the 5s boarding allowance for children in country districts. While regretting that the capitation of £l3 10s per pupil for salaries in Grade 0 schools could not be increased, he pointed out that the local people very often assisted by providing for the teacher free board and lodging.