FREE HIGHER EDUCATION

Southland Times, Issue 18058, 30 January 1903, Page 2

FREE HIGHER EDUCATION

Our reporter's account* of a visit to the High Schools, published in yester day's issue, would give our readers some idea of the immediate effects p-o dueed by the working of the regulation which admits all pupils of the primary schools who pass the sixth standard while not yet 14 years of ago to the High Schools free, the Government paying £6 for every such pupil. These effects, stated in briefest form, are a scuool somewhat overcrowded and an inadequate staff, and the Board of Governors are called upon at once to face difficulties which render the working of tbe Schools almost impossible. If we understand the position, the Board of Governors accepted the proposal of the Department rather impetuously. Without fully ascertaining and weighing the consequences, the members closed with an offer which, at the first blush, appeared to furnish them with the means of opening the doors of the High Schools to a largely increased number of pupils. The telegrams in the daily papers have stfown that the governing bodies of the northern secondary schools have not been so precipitate in their action. They have carefully investigated the matter in all its bearings, with the result that they have found it necessary to pauae before coming to a decision one way or the other. The attitude of the Boards of Governors in the north, in short, makes it plain that, if it is possible, ifc is at least not easy to measure the ultimate effect upon high schools, as regards either teaching or finance, of the operation of the new provisions. In an earlier article we I said that the Btep taken by tho local Board of Governors waa a step in the dark, and we are more than ever satis- ! fied that it was a step in the dark anfl that the situation to which it will lead cannot be accurately described. The far-reaching changes it will make in the basis on which the pupils attend the local High Schools may be demonstrated in figures. The 106 new pupils who have this year entered the schools are classified as follows in the information supplied to our representative : —

Only seven pupils out of 106 are paying pupils in the ordinary sense of the word ; the balance are " assisted " by public moneys paid in one form or another. Considering the proportion in which the numbers of the pupils gaining admittance on the different bases stand to each other it is clear that the schools must give up any pretensions they may have continued to hold to be supported to some extent by tho fees of the pupils. Within a short time the High Schools' revenue will consist entirely of public money drawn through various channels, and the relation in which the school stands to the public will be altered accordingly. Ihe many will undoubtedly be taxed for the education of the few, and under these circumstances it is questionable, as we have said before, whether the money now being distributed by the Department would not have been better used in the form of scholarships- which aftord some security that those educated at the general expense are competent to teke full advantage of that education. These new regulations of the Education Department, examined purely on their merits, are open to serious objections which might have been discussed with advantage by the Board of Governors.

From the point of view of expediency and practicability, also, it is doubtful whether the new provisions will not involve the Governors in financial difficulties. It will hardly be possible to avoid a considerable outlay on extensions of the present building, and we are not aware that the High Schools Board havo any reserve on which to draw for building

purposes. They will be compelled, we presume, to ask for Government assistance to add to the school buildings. Then both in the Girls' school and in the Boys' school an assistant teacher will be required, the duties of the present teachers, and especially those of the Rector and the mistress, will be made heavier, and the ordinary expenses of managing the school will necessarily be increased. To meet the heavy additional annual expenditure in prospect the Governors will receive from the Department £6 per head on 70 pupils, as 20 out of the 90 new pupils must be admitted free under the clause which calls upon the Governors to provide one free place for every £50 of its net income derived from endowments. Whether this £400 will be an actual increase of revenue, or whether \ gome of the pupils for whom the Governoi's now receive £6 would, under other circumstances, have paid £10, we do not know ; but even assuming that the Governors will have £400 clear to meet the expense entailed by adopting the new regulations it is doubtful if the sutn is sufficient. The effect upon the finances and the effect upon the quality of the instruction given in the schools can hardly be estimated at this juncture. We have stated what appear to us to be good grounds for anxiety, but we note that the Governors are confident of carrying the thing through with success, and we shall watch the development of the position with interest.

Boys Girlß Total Holding scholarship! 7 2 9 Paying fees 4 3 7 Under new provision 45 45 90 56 50 106