OTAGO PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22294, 21 June 1934, Page 2

OTAGO PRIMARY SCHOOLS

ATTENDANCE RETURNS DECREASE IN ROLL NUMBER. A report ou the attendance returns for the term ended May 4 of the present year, which was submitted at yesterday’s meeting of the Otago Education Board, showed that at the end of the term there were 240 schools (including side schools) in operation in the district unaei the board’s control. The report gave the following figures for the term, the figures for the first term of last year being given in parentheses:—Roll ’number at end of term, 17,812 (18,130), 318 decrease; average weekly roll number, 17,832 (18,128). ,296 decrease; average attendance, 16,437 (17,127), 670 decrease; percentage of attendance, 92.39 (94.48), 2.09 decrease. It was pointed out in the report that since the end of last term the Manuka Creek School had been reopened and the Puketiro and Tapui schools closed. The Albany Street Primary School was also closed, being superseded by the new intermediate school. The decrease of 3LS in the roll number was due principally to the raising of the school age, but smaller families were also a contributing factor. The decrease in the average attendance was greater than the decrease in the roll number. This was to be expected by the spread of the measles epidemic to country districts and the prevalence of influenza, whooping cough and mumps both in the town and the country. The report was received.