TE AWAMUTU COURIER Printed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays FRIDAY, 9th APRIL, 1943 SCHOOL LEAVING AGE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 66, Issue 5603, 9 April 1943, Page 2

TE AWAMUTU COURIER Printed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays FRIDAY, 9th APRIL, 1943 SCHOOL LEAVING AGE

THE related problems of the school leaving age and the drift of children to premature and unsuitable employment were attacked in a set of.resolutions submitted last week to the t hristchurca Technical College Board, wnich adopted, them all. ft is to be commended for pursuing in tnis active way the discussion which, some weeks ago, was prompted by the youth oiiicers’ disturbing reports. One resolution calls fur the closing “forthwith ” of legislative “ loopholes ” that allpw children under fourteen years of age to leave school and enter employment; another, for the raising of the school age “ at once ’ to fifteen years. I; is a pity that the first, in appearance ar least, compromises the second. The last resolution proposes that the youth centres be given “ full responsibility ’ for the guidance ‘'and placement ’ of " young people under the age of twenty-one ’ —a proposal which the Board can hardly have understood for it embraces unqualified regimentation in training and vocational entry, hesitation and haste, the Board emphasises what it is most important emphasise—that the raising oi the school leaving age has been delayed too long, the evil consequences of dey are increasingly apparent, and tilt re must be action to correct them, i ;.<1 action now. If this means that labour legislation and its administration should be overhauled, it means also, and means insistently, that what was promised twenty years ago, what has been promised and postponed for twenty years, what has just been promised again, should be performed. The Prime Minister, on ifth March, sp'oi-- c to Mrs Griggs Address-in-gret that he had been unable, as Ministi rof Education, to raise the leaving age to fifteen years. The teachers the buildings had been wanting; rut now be looked forward to a : cl-erne of reconstruction,” within which the leaving age would be advanced first to fifteen and then to sixteen. A week or so later the Minister rf Education, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, improved on this. If the country had to wait until there were teachers enough and to spare, it seemed to him that there might be no end to waiting; and he had therefore, “Some months ago”.to consider sugincreased roll numbers “ from time to time.” Accordingly, ho hoped to put practical proposals ” before Parliament soon. This improves on the Prime Minister’s re-statemer.t extension) of the old promise and his reminder of the old obstacles, because I ? Mason shows that he is impatient ' f them and ready to bo bold. His suggestions, in whatever form the Department considers" them operable, cannot be judged till they are known: for their- aim—to- move at once, • s far as possible: to move bn. as soon much to be said. For military rea- - ns the schools have often been re- • ,ns of temporary (but not brief) inhave been found- If there are diffities i” introducing a positive rebefore full material provision has everywhere been maed for it. i?.l resourcefulness will go far to overcome them. Four branches oi • : New Zealand Educational Inst; tute, including Auckland and Hastings, have remitted the May conference, declaring for the immediate raising of the leaving age. They have declared, in effect, that they believe it can be done and arc ready ftfr the trial Local conditions vary great!;.-. If reform is to wait until where, it may wait, as the Minister said, indefinitely. But the evils whir’-, it-is to counter will not wait for it. They are growing, and will grow. Il ■ not a time to be rash, bet it : a time to be resolute.