ECONOMIES IN SCHOOLS

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1931, Page 5

ECONOMIES IN SCHOOLS

LARGER CLASSES IN VIEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS’ OPINIONS I MEETING IN SOUTH TARANAKI. » The quarterly meeting of the South Taranaki Primary School Committees’ Association was held at Kajjonga on Thursday evening, Mr. J. Cocker presiding over the following attendance:. Messrs. A. Kemp and W. Ricketts (Eltham), Dr. W. M. Thomson and Mr. J. Tait (Hawera), Messrs. E. Chapman, D. McLeod, M. F. Voullaire and P. M. Fallows (Kaponga), J. Fletcher (Rawhitiroa) and A. Lees (member of tha Taranaki Education Board). A letter was received from the Minister of Education regarding the resolutions passed at the previous meeting . of the association. “I regret to have to say,” the Minister said, “that nothing can be done at present in the direction of as isting schools to obtain French gramophone records. The opinion of th© officers of my department is that although these records are a valuable - adjunct to the teaching of French, they can by no means be regarded as essential, and in the present position of finance my officers do not consider that expenditure of public money upon them, is justified. I have noted your repre-. sentations on the subject of the allows ances for district high schools, but regret that the expenditure on this item also cannot be increased. ’ The refusal ». of subsidy for the purchase of type-: writers for Manaia District High School is due similarly to the urgent need foj; economy.” The chairman said that under Unem-t ployment Scheme No. 5 it was possible for school committees to apply to the local unemployment board to have work done at school grounds. He thought this should be made known to school committees. Mr. Lees said that if committees would get into communication with the ; Education Board they would obtain full details as to the procedure to be adopted. WORK FOR UNEMPLOYED. . Mr. Ricketts said that the Government ■would provide for the whole of the labour cost of such work. The chairman thought that it was an opportune time for committees to get work done that they had been unable to afford to have done. Mr. Chapman asked if there were local unemployed men would it be possible to make a recommendation that such men be engaged so as to avoid the expense of travelling. The chairman said that while they could not exactly pick and choose men, such a recommendation would most l : ':ely be given effect. He advised them to make representations to the, local committees administering the unemployment scheme. The recent decision of the Education Department regarding the employment of teachers was referred to ’by Dr. Thomson, who said that the department had closed down tightly on the employment of extra assistant’ teachers and teachers must be prepared to teach, larger classes. He felt that even in a time of financial. stringency this was a retrograde step. In places like Hawera it would throw an immense amount of work on the senior teachers. It was economy at tha wrong end. Ha moved: “That in view of the ..number of unemployed teachers this association protests against the department’s policy of cutting out extra assistants and ex-, pecting that larger classes be taught., ■ The association considers that such pol-. icy is false economy and impairs the teaching efficiency.” The chairman said that whatever happened they did not want the education system to go back. He was sure they could not economise by enlarging class- J es, many of which were far too big already.’ ' ■ Mr. Lees stated that there were 54 ex- , trainees out of work in the Taranaki district and they could at present find work for < ly 20 as relieving teachers. The motion was seconded by Mr. Tait and carried. ' ’ - < ' •

SEVENTH STANDARD ADVOCATED.

The question of liability of contractors in the carriage of children to school by motor was raised by Mr. Fletcher. It was considered that contractors should have their child passengers insured and that competent and respons-.j ible drivers should be employed. ’ In reply to Mr. Chapman Mr. Lees stated that it was possible for schools to inter-change school library books, provided a record were kept of the transfers;

The. chairman referred to the difficulty those in the back country had in financing their children at high school * during the present economic conditions, and he spoke of the value to them of the seventh standard. He felt that the time was opportune to push for & seventh standard in all country schools possible. Many children, in the absence of a seventh standard, were denied the advantages of higher education that they should have. Mr. Chapman suggested that the Education Board might urge the department to make arrangements for a bus to go around- a district to collect pupils for high schools. He pointed out that although there were several in his dist.ict who desired their children to at- ~ tend the Manaia High School they were unable to pay the expense of a convey-, ance.

The chairman said that many parents were compelled to keep their children to help them on the farm, and if they attended a high school they would have to leave too early and would reach home too late to be of service on the farm. If there were a seventh standard at the local school parents could keep their children to assist morning and night and let them attend the seventh, standard during the day. Dr. Thomson pointed out that it would be impossible to make the establishment of a oeventh standard general. The chairman said that in most cases it would cost the department scarcely anything at all »as there were plenty of capable certificated teachers. A motion was carried urging upon the department the desirability of establishing Form 111. classes in country schools the pupils of which are not in a position to take advantage of other secon dary educational facilities.