PROPOSED DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL AT GERALDINE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1831, 5 August 1895, Page 4

PROPOSED DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL AT GERALDINE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMARU HERALD.

Sin,— ln your report of the Education Board's meeting on Thursday, the following paragraph occurs:— "A letter was read from the [Education] Department opposing the raising of Geraldine school into a District High School, on the ground that the staff would not be suitable. The headmaster would have to devote himself to the secondary instruction, and the rest of the work would be left to a weak staff (at present two females of E2 and E5 rank and pupil teachers)." As the Department has based its decision oh the question of staff, I think it is to be regretted that it did not first take the trouble to accurately learn what the staff of the school actually is. The staff of the Geraldine school consists of a highly classified headmaster, a male assistant of rank D 4, who is also an uudergraduate of the University, a female assistant of rank E2, and three pupil teachers. Were the school raised to a High School, an additional pupil teacher would be employed, so that the total staff would be seven m number. This ataff compares favourably m strength with that of other District High Schools of similar size. For instance, the staff of the Balclutha District High School consists of a headmaster, a male assistant, two female assistants, and two pupil teachers, or a total of six, and this school is just about the same size as Geraldine School, although it has a smaller staff. Again, the Department assumes that the headmaster would devote all his time to secondary work, and leave the whole of the primary work to the rest of the staff. As a matter of fact the present time-tables and allotment of work would be barely disturbed if the status of the school were raised, as the bulk of the secondary work would be undertaken by the headmaster when such subjects as singing, sewing, and drill were taken by the assistants, as they are now. Our Education Board (presumedly acting on ; the advice, of its skilled inspector) has twice asked the Department to make the school a District High School, and the Board and its officers are surely m a better position than the Department of knowing whether such a change would be likely to benefit education m the district or not. The Geraldine School possesses an efficient staff, and has all the qualifications of making a successful District High School, and of maintaining it's present position as one of the most efficient schools m the district, and there Beems to me, therefore (as it does to the Education Board and its officers), no good reason why Geraldine children should be df bayred from the benefits of

secondary education if they desire it. There is no other secondary school within range that they can attend. It issurely the duty of a Liberal Government to provide higher education for the people if such can be efficiently and inexpensively done. When the Department learns what the Geraldine staff actually is, and also sees that other District High Schools are no more strongly staffed than Geraldine is, I trust it will see its way to reconsider its decision. I am, &c, Thomas Sherratt, Chairman Geraldine School Committee. August 2nd, 1895.