CURTAILMENT OF PLANS

Southland Times, Issue 24422, 30 April 1941, Page 6

CURTAILMENT OF PLANS

Intermediate School

In City

An explanation why it had been necessary to curtail the plans for the first intermediate school in Southland was given to the Southland Education Board yesterday by the Director of Education, Dr C. E. Beeby. He said the department was now committed to the intermediate school policy and there were calls for more schools than could be built immediately if large and fullyequipped schools, costing perhaps £40,000, were established. Dr Beeby said he realized the board must feel some disappointment at the way in which the plans for the new school for Invercargill had been cut down. The department was faced with difficulties, more so in the north, where the growth of population was more rapid. In these centres primary schools were overcrowded and it was necessary either to add to them or to put up intermediate schools. The department was now very keen on intermediate scbools and would provide them where it could. In the circumstances some modifications were necessary. DEPARTMENTS ELIMINATED The new intermediate school for Invercargill would have woodwork, domestic science and library sections. In the meantime the assembly , hall, laboratory, metal work and arts’ and crafts’ departments had been eliminated. Such sections were good, but the department was merely trying to cut its coat according to its cloth and it was doing so as skilfully as possible. The department was working on plans for one intermediate school and tenders were being invited for the other. It was desirable to develop a new system slowly and spread the benefits as far as possible. Up to Standard IV in the primary schools children were given a good grounding in the “three R’s” and other elementary subjects. In the post primary schools they would specialize. Between those two branches all the children were available and there were opportunities for education in citizenship which was more important than starting an academic career. Dr Beeby urged the board to choose most carefully for its intermediate school a headmaster who would evolve a plan for expanding and broadening the scope of education.

Now that the department was committed to a policy of establishing intermediate schools it was necessary to look ahead. In the future there would be difficulty in securing sites for the schools, and the department was prepared to assist boards in making a survey of probable future requirements iso that sites could be secured in advance. GOOD WORK BY BOARDS Dr Beeby said he was keen to meet the boards in various parts of New Zealand. It was only because of human contacts between reasonable beings in the department and on the boards that the educational system could be made to work satisfactorily. Education could not be controlled from a centre. The boards were valuable because of their local knowledge of requirements and the class of education which would be accepted in any particular locality. He was extremely grateful to the boards for the work they were doing and he felt that the system of education would be poorer if the boards ceased to function. Much greater freedom had latterly been given to the inspectors because of their local knowledge In a welcome to the director, the chairman of the board, Mr S. Rice, said Dr Beeby had had a brilliant scholastic career and had been one of the youngest graduates in New Zealand. New Zealand was fortunate in having a man with his unique experience of various types of schools as Director of Education. Some time ago he was asked to write a report on intermediate schools in New Zealand and he had produced a very valuable document. He had recommended the extension of intermediate schools to help every child to a rational choice of future school course and occupation, based on a knowledge of his own aptitudes and interests and on the nature of the work involved. This suggested to a layman that no longer would attempts be made to fit square pegs into round holes. Dr Beeby was familiar with the board’s endeavours to establish an intermediate school in Southland, but in spite of Southland’s great potentialities the province had been passed over time after time and less deserving districts had had schools granted to them.