SOCIAL STUDIES IN SCHOOLS

Southland Times, Issue 25669, 11 May 1945, Page 3

SOCIAL STUDIES IN SCHOOLS

GRANT FOR EQUIPMENT SOUGHT (P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 10. Remits adopted at the annual conference of the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Association included the following:— That in view of the fact that local needs are best known to those working on the spot, plans for new schools or parts of schools should be submitted to the staffs of such schools for discussion and suggestion. That the department be asked to provide an adequate annual grant to provide the necessary equipment for social studies. That the school certificate examination paper in geography should be set to cover adequately all branches of the syllabus. That the association considers it unfair that a university scholarship candidate be put in the position of having to reduce his total from 2600 to 2400 by nominating the subject in which he wishes his marks to be reduced, and suggests that where necessary the onus be on the university to reduce the marks in the subject in which the candidate gained the lowest percentage. VALUE OF SCHOLARSHIPS That in view of the increase in the cost of living the disparity between the emoluments for junior university scholarships and bursaries is too great. The value of the scholarships should be raised. That the numbers in the inspectorate be increased and its members carry out a maximum of advising and a minimum of inspecting. That the association favours adjustment giving better representation in mixed schools to the interests of girls by a more equitable distribution of senior staff positions between men and

women. That it is highly desirable that no school, primary or post-primary, should have more than 500 pupils, and that no class should contain more than 30 pupils. .