EDUCATION CURTAILMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 14 April 1932, Page 7

EDUCATION CURTAILMENT

MANUAL INSTRUCTION CUT TEACHERS PROTEST TO MINISTER. ECONOMIES TO BE EQUITABLE. By Telegraph—Preee Assn. —Copyright. Wellington, April 13. A protest against the proposals of the National Expenditure Commission to curtail manual instruction in schools was made by a teachers’ deputation today to the Minister of Education (the Hon. R. Masters). Mr Masters said economies had to be made, but he hoped they would be as equitable as possible. The commission recommended that manual training should be confined to the sixth standards of the four main centres and be eliminated from country schools, but the Government would not agree to this proposal. Mr. Masters hoped economies would be made with a minimum of hard6hip. He would appreciate any suggestions the deputation might make. A deputation from the secondary school boards’ conference also waited on Mr. Masters to-day. The conference decisions, Mr. Masters said, appeared to be very reasonable from his point of view. He said the question of the abolition or unification of boards would be gone into very fully and the deputation’s representations would be submitted to Cabinet before any decisions were made. SOUTH TARANAKI VIEWS EDUCATION BOARDS FAVOURED. MANUAL TRAINING UNSUPPORTED. The South Taranaki School Committee’s Association at Okaiawa last night considered recommendations of the National Expenditure Commission bearing on education matters. A resolution opposing the centralisation of primary school control by removing the link (education boards) between the department and school committees was carried. « j n Recommendations relating to Grade 0 schools, agricultural instruction and differentiation in salaries between men and women were opposed, but it was agreed to support discontinuance in the meantime of manual training.