A SCHOOL ASSAILED.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 457, 28 July 1915, Page 8

A SCHOOL ASSAILED.

WEST CHRISTCHURCH D.H. EXISTENCE DIFFICULT TO DEFEND. AN EXTRAORDINARY STATEMENT

The following clause, which appeared in the Appointments Committee's report, presented at a meeting of the Education Board to-day, called forth vigorous criticism from members of the board: — "A letter was received from the Department, regretting its inability to authorise the services of an additional assistant for the secondary department of the Christchurch West District High School, and pointing out that a District High School in the city was wholly an anomaly, and that its maintenance in such surroundings must therefore be regarded as temporary only. It was agreed to reply that the board take strong exception to the statement referring to the Christchurch West District High School as a school 'whose very existence it is difficult to defend'; that the board is decidedly of opinion that no District High School in the Dominion can compare with this school in the excellence of the results obtained in the various public examinations during the last eight or nine years, as follow:—Over 300 passed the Public Service Entrance Examination, 31 in the first 50. . for . the Dominion, 64 Matriculation and Solicitor's General Knowledge, 18 Board Senior Scholarships, 24 Board Junior Scholarships, 5 Junior National Scholarships, 12 School of Art Exhibitions for girls, and 5 International Exhibition Medals and certificates for writing, numbers of English essay prizes of different kinds. "In the circumstances, the board has no doubt that the school has fulfilled, with marked success, the functions of a public secondary or continuation school of a type that it would be well to adopt in the other chief cities of the Dominion. The board therefore respectfully asks the Department to reconsider its decision, especially iii view of the facts above mentioned." Mr Andrews took strong exception to the Department's attitude towards the school. It was a most unjust reflection on an extremely usei ful educational institutions Mr Jamieson wondered whether it jwas another attempt to penalise primary education in favour of manual education. Mr Dalziel said that they should fight with renewed vigour to defend the school. Mr Opie also defended the school against the aspersions of the Department. The chairman (Mr Geo. Rennie) drew attention to.the fact that the Department was not proposing in the letter to take action against the school, and that the objectionable statement had occurred in a letter replying to the board's application for an additional assistant for the Secondary Department of the school. The matter was then dropped and the clause adopted.