THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 10055, 17 February 1927, Page 2

THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL.

DEPUTATION MEETS MK T, D. BURNETT, M.p.; A deputation consisting of Mr T. Hughes, (member of the Canterbury Education Board), and Messrs A. M. Fyfe (chairman), j. d. McKechnie, M. G. Williams, P. Wallace and Dr .G, W. Curtis, (members of the Geraldine'■ District High School Committee) met the Member for the district, Mr T. D. Burnett, at the Bank of New Zealand, Geraidine on Monday afternoon with the object of placing before him the urgent need of further accommodation. for the secondary ktepiatrtment of the local District High School. Mr Fyfe outlined the measures the School Committee had taken in the past two years to secure a Junior High School for Geraldine, stating that Sir James Parr on his visit' to Geraldine four years ago, in answer, to their request for a High School, had - promised them that if they would first of all procure a suitable site for such a school, they would he. granted a High School. . Since the Junior High School scheme had been mooted, and they had endeavoured to obtain such a school. They had secured an option on an ideal site for a school, and Mr J. CaugMey, the then Director for Education, had. visited the district and they had i motored him round and shown him all the schools within a ten mile radius. They had also held meetings at many of the schools, and had obtained the approval of a large majority ,of the school committees of the scheme. Mr Burnett asked why a »w site was considered necessary. Was it not possible to build on the present school site v Mr'Fyfe said the Minister had insisted on a new site being obtained if a new school was to he built, as the present site was too small. Mr Burnett questioned if 10 acres would he enough, if they were to go in fori practical as well as theoretical agricultural science. Mr Fyfe said he thought so, and the people were behind them to a man. Referring to the present congestion at the secondary school, which was housed in’ a temporary building, built to accommodate 60, Mr Fyfe stated that there was an attendance, of SI, and the science room of the Technical School had been used for the past year to provide room for the classes and the school was growing in numbers rapidly.

I, Mr T. Hughes pointed out the int adequacy of the accommodation 3 - verifying Mr Fyfe’s figures.' 'fhe‘ , Hon, Sir James Parr, had promised if they could get the land, they should, have a High School. This 3 also was his own opinion, on a Jun- } ior High School. 3, , Mr Burnett said that apparently i their argument .was that the presj ent accommodation being inade- . quate, they had the right, to have 3 a . Junior High School', which had been promised them. Mr CaughLey ! thought the site they had chosen 3 an ideal one, but the Education De- ; partment considered! the Junior i High School system too costly, i Mr Hughes said that in view of / the lack of acommodation, for sec-, , ondary scholars who were using the science room at the Technical School, and the overcrowding in • the- temporary building he thought 1 they could reasonably ask the Education Department for adequate accommodation. Belfield school had re cently been' burnt down, and .the Board had decided not to rebuild in view of the probability of a consolidated school being, put up , at, Geraldine. The Committee was justified in asking for a . Junior High School. , The time had come for asking for the provision of further accommodation. The district of Geraldine was very favourably situated for a consolidated school. Mr Burnett said it had not been possible for the Government to honour all promises made by Sir, James Parr. Putting aside the Junior High School project ,he would try to impress on the Government that more accommodation ■ was required at Geraldine for the Sec- : ondary Department, and that the block of land under offer he kept ■ for School purposes. When the new Minister came down, they should i concentrate on that. What he 1 would do, would be to get in touch 1 with the Minister and bring under 1 his notice the promises made by t Sir James Parr and in particular im £ press upon him the overcrowded t state of the school and that they t had, secured the land. Mr Burnetc v concluded by stating that. agricultural science was going to become. I one of. the chief forces in educa- a tion in the Dominion, and ha ex- p pressed the opinion that, as a centre C for agricultural teaching. Geraldine was out on its own. The c teaching of practical agricultural r science would help to develop in y the children a love of country life, ti and help to keep them from flock- a ing to the towns. He would like p to see 100, acres purchased at tl Geraldine, and turned into an agricultural school. si A vote of thanks was passed to a Mr Burnett for his sympathetic c ] hearing.