SCHOOL ADMISSION AGE

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1934, Page 3

SCHOOL ADMISSION AGE

COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATION. ADDRESS BY MR. BANNER. A comprehensive investigation into the effects on the five.-year-old children of the raising of the school age is being made by the New Zealand Educational Institute, according to Mr. A. O. Banner, president, when speaking to members of the North Taranaki branch, on Saturday. Evidence, he said, had been secured from infant mistresses, from parents and from social workers.

“The compilation of the results is now almost complete,” said Mr. Banner, “and an official statement embodying all this evidence will shortly be issued by the " institute.

“One of the points which has emerged most strongly,” continued Mr. Banner, “is the effect of the legislation on the poorer sections of the community. One prominent New Zealand social worker writes: ‘Many of the children of the poor are forced to spend most of their day either inside cold, cheerless homes or to play in their only playground, the streets. ' These children play for hours round drains and gutters often searching through rubbish tins and sometimes finding pieces of fruits or foodstuffs which they eat. As a result they are often seen suffering from skin eruptions of various kinds.

“'Children from the poorer homes invariably have few or no toys, or any form of occupation other than playing in the streets. The mind of a child of five years is craving for occupation. If denied school his mind will develop on such as the environment may be. One has only to visit the homes of the masses to be convinced of the hardships both to child and parent entailed by the raising of the age of admission to public schools.’

“In the majority of instances," said Mr. Banner, “the mothers are obviously doing all they can for their children, but as other social workers point out, many of them are so worried about making ends meet and keeping their families clothed and fed that they have, neither the resources nor., the patience to find fruitful occupation for the children.”