BACKBLOCK EDUCATION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19122, 17 September 1936, Page 4

BACKBLOCK EDUCATION

PLEA TO THE DIRECTOR NEW PLANS CONSIDERED CONSOLI DATED SCHOOLS An outline of plans to Luther help education in the hackbloeks was given by the Director of Education, ATr. N. T. Lambourne, at a meeting’ of school eomnitteomen in the Gisborne Central School last night.

Mr. Lambourne promised to consider Lite reintroduction of organising teachers, and said that the plan of consolidated schools might be still further exploited.

These comments were made in reply to Mr. E. H. Baker, Tahunga, a niemuer of toe Gisborne High School Board of Governors, who spoke of the many counchildren who would never have an opportunity of benefiting from the intermediate school it was proposed to establish in Gisborne. IkickblocKS children, he said, ivere taught in the primary schools by the less experienced teachers, and had few of the advantages of those in the town schools. With the introduction of the intermediate school, the gap would be further widened. While improvements in the towns were effected, something should be done by those in the backblocks, such as by the reintroduction of the organising teachers, bursaries for the more forward children, increase of transport allowances and the sending of a better class of tehcher to the country schools.

In reply, Mr. Lambourne said he tell sure that the Minister was anxious to extend to the country children the facilities that were enjoyed in the larger centres of population. The Minister had given much thought to the problem. One way was by consolidation, reducing where practicable the number of small schools and concentrating the children in consolidated schools. r lhat had been done iu a number of districts, such as Ruawa-i, on the Wairoa River, North Auckland, Piopio, Otorohanga, and Oxford. The children were conveyed to a centre, and in most of these places a district high school had been established. He paid a tribute to the excellent work that had been done by the small schools, but added that the day of the small school was gone. Good roads and motor transport had solved that problem. Another way in which teachers could be helped was by means of organising teachers, and even grade 0 schools had been taken bv certificated teachers. He would give serious consideration to tho advisability of restoring the scheme of organising teachers, and would consider boldin' l ’ refresher courses for teachers from the countrv districts. The Minister had made provision for the conveyance of pupils to post-primary schools by road as well as by rail, also bad provided boarding allowances.