GORE HIGH SCHOOL

Southland Times, Issue 21648, 9 March 1932, Page 9

GORE HIGH SCHOOL

MEETING OF BOARD. The monthly meeting of the Gore High School Board of Governors yesterday was attended by Messrs E. C. Smith (chairman), S. Rice, W. Gee, J. H. Clark, A. T. Newman, Hugh Smith, A. L. McDowell and A. H. W. Aitken. A letter was received from the Education Department, stating that in view of the urgent. necessity for economy in expenditure and conservation of public funds, the department desired to know as early as possible what amount was likely to be available for salaries from the board’s endowment income for 1933, namely, the net annual income from endowments at December 31, 1932. The board was therefore requested to submit to the department a budget for the year, showing the gross income, items of expenditure and the net income available. The budget would also, li approved by the minister, make it unnecessary for the board to apply for ministerial approval in connection with the expenditure on maintenance of buildings. The matter was referred to the town members of the board to furnish a report to the department. The Education Department: advisee! that in view of the fact that many senior pupils found it impossible to obtain employment upon the completion of their normal seconary school course, and had therefore to return to school for another year, the Minister of Education, had approved of the relaxation, in necessitous cases, of the regulation limiting the tenure of a senior free place to the end of the term in which the holder attained the age of 19 years. A further letter from the department advised that the Minister of Education had approved of the extension of junior free places for an additional year in the case of pupils at secondary schools, district high schools, technical high and technical day schools who had not already held free places for more than two years and who failed at the end of 1931 to secure senior free places either by recommendation or by examination.

The rector reported that quite a number of old pupils had returned to the school during the past month. The roll at present stood at 260, which was eight more than the maximum roll for last year. The school, however, at* the present time was top-heavy, which was the case with practically every other secondary school in New Zealand. The explanation, of course, was that pupils who normally would be entering into some employment were returning to school because no employment was available for them. On the other hand the number of first year pupils had gone down this year, the stiffening of the proficiency examination being to a small extent responsible. He was convinced, however, that the main reason was that a' good many pupils from the country were being kept at home instead of being enrolled, as would normally be the case.