FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22751, 11 December 1935, Page 6

FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN

EARLY READMISSION TO SCHOOLS DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY (Pee United Pbess Association) WELLINGTON, December 10. The difficulties in the way of the immediate readmission of five-year-old children to the State schools were mentioned by the Minister of Education, Mr P. Eraser, when making his first public speech since his appointment as a member of the Cabinet, at a gathering at the Karori School to-day. These difficulties, the Minister said, he hoped to surmount very speedily. Mr Fraser indicated, however, that the desire to readmit the children at the'beginning of the next school year might not be possible of achievement because of circumstances arising out of the educational policy pursued in the immediate past. The problem of the shortage of teachers would have to be solved before the children were readmitted.

There was also the question of the opening of the Training Colleges, Mr Fraser added, and if there were to be more teachers it naturally followed that there had to be more facilities for training them. He hoped to be in a position to make a pronouncement very soon.