AN OBSOLETE SCHOOL

Taranaki Daily News, 16 December 1926, Page 11

AN OBSOLETE SCHOOL

CONDITIONS AT HAWERA EPIDEMICS AFFECT ATTENDANCE. A STRONG PROTEST ENTERED. “Scandalous,” was the term applied to the unhealthy condition of the Hawera School building when complaints eanie before the Taranaki Education Board yesterday in the form of a letter from Mr. J. W. Harding, chairman of tile committee. He enclosed graphs prepared by the headmaster (Mr. F. A. Bates) showing most erratic attendances owing to epidemics. It was decided to urge on the department the immediate need of action to improve the conditions. The graphs showed a steady increase in the roll number, from 630 to 700, during 1926, but the attendance line resembled the erratic temperature chart of a person gripped one moment by a very serious fever and the next by a coldness approaching zero. There was a gieat drop in April on account of diphtheria, the attendance falling from 580 to 535. Then it rose steadily until at the beginning of July it was 628. At the end of that month, however, it suddenly plumbed the depths. Influenza had taken its toll and only 510 remained at school. The .peak of 620 was reached in October. Then mumps paid, a visit, and at the end of November an almost vertical drop was made to 540. In- an explanatory letter, Mr. Bates said the school would probably lose three fully qualified and very capable assistants and receive in their place only one probationery assistant from the Training College. Referring to the serious position disclosed by the graphs, he said it was due very largely, if not entirely, to the bad conditions in the classrooms, as regards ventilation, warmth and sunlight. Tawhiti School, in the same town, scarcely suffered from any of these epidemics, nor did Normanby School. These were well-lighted and ventilated buildings. Since October 18, the Hawera School had had 150 children absent through infectious disease or through contact with it. Tawhiti bad four absences in the same period. Thus through ■ the very neglect of the authorities in : not providing sanitary accommodation for the children, the school was further penalised in having teachers taken from the staff, when the roll number had steadily risen and was now actually higher than it had been for a year. At present the school had ten classes with a roll number of 50 or more. What must be the position after it lost three qualified assistants? These three assistants were now teaching 133 pupils who would have to be added to the already large numbers now taught by the rest of the staff. “As you will see. the conditions under which our children are at present housed are shocking.” wrote Mr. J. W. Harding, chairman of the school committee. He suggested the circumstances should be ‘brought before the officials at Wellington in the hope that they would have some influence in bringing about necessary improvements that the board had recommended.

The local sanitary inspector had reported to the Hawera County Council that he had made two inspections of the school buildings during November, and that the superintendent of health for the district had made an inspection. It was understood the latter’s report would not be favourable to the existing conditions. The departmental officers in Wellington apparently did not fully appreciate the seriousness of the position, or they would have given some consideration, concluded Mr. Harding. Owing to the insanitary conditions the school suffered more- than others during epidemics, said Mr. A. Lees. Now it was to suffer in regard to staffing. Mr. P. J. H. White said that for many years the classrooms had been absolutely unsatisfactory. Would it be too much to say in a resolution that the conditions were scandalous? asked the Rev. J. L. A. Kay 11.. The children’s health suffered and the teaching as well, through temporary reductions in staff owing to epidemics. Mr. White advocated drawing the attention of the department to the number of times the board had approached it on the same subject. About ten years ago the speaker and Mr. S. G. Smith had found the Hawera rooms damp, badly lighted and badly ventilated, but nothing resulted from representations to the department at that time. Mr. Kayll: Do the public know the turn position? We should disclaim responsibility while the department continues to turn a deaf ear. Mr. Smith said the board had a list of 54 schools to which exemption had been granted owing to epidemics, but the exemption allowed did not go far enough in the case of Hawera. Mr. Smith said the board had always held the opinion that the Hawera building was old and obsolete, and should be replaced. Hawera residents knew the ■board’s feelings in the matter. Mr. Kayll emphasised that the public should know the board was fully alive to the conditions, and that the responsibility lay entirely with the department. Mr. Lees: The Hawera people are quite satisfied with the representations made by the board, and they know the fault is with the department. It was eventually decided that the letter and graphs should be forwarded to the department, and that the board should emphasise the necessity for urgent action to overcome the very unsatisfactory conditions, regarding which repeated representations had been made to the department.