HIGH SCHOOLS’ BOARD

Southland Times, Issue 22998, 18 September 1936, Page 9

HIGH SCHOOLS’ BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING

AMENDMENTS TO FREE PLACE REGULATIONS An explanation of the recently gazetted amendments to the free place regulations was received from the Education Department at a meeting of the Southland High Schools’ Board last evening. Mr W. Bell presided over Mrs J. N. Armour and Messrs F. G. Stevenson and H. Ritchie. The following points were explained in the department’s letter:— (1) The conditions restricting the tenure of a junior free place to the end of the year in which a pupil reaches the age of seventeen have been removed. The approval of the department is, however, still necessary for the admission to a junior free place of a pupil who has reached the age of 16 years. (2) The principal’s recommendation to the department for the extension of junior free place privileges for a third year is not necessary in the case of a pupil who was under 13 years of age on December 31 of the year in which he gained his qualification for a junior free place. It will be sufficient for the department’s purposes if the names of the pupils concerned are shown on the annual return of free pupils in the following year with an indication in the “remarks” column that the extensions are made under this clause. (3) A senior free place is tenable until the end of the year instead of the end of the term in which the holder attains 19 years of age. In so far as this amendment affects any pupils of your school this year will you please note that they are to be regarded as eligible for free place privileges for the whole of 1936 and that any tuition fees paid by them for any part of the year should be refunded. This provision also applies to any of those pupils who, having first entered upon senior free places at a post-primary day school, have subsequently transferred to the evening classes of a technical school. I shall be glad if you will forward for the purposes of the department’s records the names of any pupils who, having turned 19 years of age this year, continued in attendance as paying pupils and also state what was the period of attendance in respect of which the fees were paid. Principals’ Reports. The principal of the Girls’ High School (Miss A. Eastwood) reported that the present roll number was 241. Eight pupils had left since the end of the second term; five of this number had taken positions, two were at home, and one had transferred to another school. The rector of the Boys High School (Dr G. H. Uttley) reported that the roll number now stood at 297, several more boys having secured good positions. It would be necessary to make early arrangements for the equipment of the classes in engineering, the report continued. It was hoped that these classes would start next year. The secondary school inspectors were to visit the school at the beginning of next week to examine candidates for senior free places and higher leaving certificates and to consider the grading of teachers. Advice was received from the Education Department that authority had been given for the payment of grants for the conveyance and boarding allowance of secondary school pupils on much the same lines as those pertaining to primary school pupils. Members expressed the opinion that this move would prove of great benefit to country pupils and would probably induce many more to attend secondary schools. The Education Department also advised that a grant had been approved to cover the cost of erecting an additional bicycle shed at the Girls High School;