CENTRALISING SCHOOLS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXI, Issue 12477, 14 September 1904, Page 4

CENTRALISING SCHOOLS.

THE .CONVEYANCE SYSTEM. Mr Valentine, secretary to the South Canterbury District Educational Institute, forwarded to the Board of Education for yesterday's meeting a repprt drawn up by ■i committee of Bis Association on the centralisation'of country schools, in response to a request by the Board that they would , do so. The "Board had not time to consider-, the-'report yesterday, and it was referred, unread, to,the Building Committee. After 'some introductory remarks, the 'report proceeds : ,At the onset, we would say that in laying" thisscheme before the Board, our only desire is to provide, for children not in the immediate neighbourhood of schools, an education -better yet less costly than can be provided by the multiplication of small schools.' Reference is made to the impairment of efficiency of the teaching staff at large by the increase of small schools, because if the country had to find large sums'of money for building such schools, it wonld not grant also additions to teacb- . ers- salaries. The best class of boys cannot how be induced to enter the teaching"profession, because it has so few positions of value to offer. Regarding the conveyance of children to schools, the re-.part-says that the terms offered and the conditions made by the Department are" not 1 liberal enough to make it worth any man's while to provide a single large conveyance to carry all distant pupils to a school. The age limit in the Department's scheme also seemed too narrow . A copy of vine Victorian scale was appended, and this was much more liberal. Seeing, then, that the single conveyance system is im- . practicable, the Institute " recommend as ' atf alternative, the plan of separate conveyances, so that any person conveying children to school, in accordance with the Government conditions, may receive the regulation allowance. ... Thus, by allowing the. eldest'pupil to drive, the owner of a vehicle would have no driver to pay, yet would receive Is 8d per week for each child carried, might piok up at convenient places pupils other than members of bis own family, and all would be gathered into a larger school, to enjoy better educational advantages than could be provided by a small isolated school. A similar plan was worked at Esk Valley, and six or seven miles should not be too long a drive for children who, the Department considers, are able to walk three or four miles. We know it is a practicable scheme, for many children are at the present time driven to school at their parents' expense. The remuneration offered by the Department- would help to make parents satisfied with the system." The report also suggests that where practicable the railways should be used for conveying children to or from school if by so. doing the building of a small school could be obviated. And where certificated teachers, cannot be obtained for vacant schools, the pupils should be conveyed to the nearest or most convenient school. Thev would thus be kept at school and earn capitation for the Board and for the teacher. The names.of a few schools were appended where it was suggested that the conveyance system might be tried, and other instances might be added by the Board. Appended'also were (1) a siimmarv of the arguments in favour of centralisation by conveyance (from a Canadian source);" (2) an article from the Canterbury A. and P. Association " Journal " for August bearing on the question; (3) a letter from (he Education Department of Victoria, showing the success of the conveyance svstem in that State; (4) the Victorian Department regulation on the subject. The letter from the Victorian Education office stated that no general notion wit') regard to the consolidation and centralis' ation of rural schools, and as, it if. understood, obtains in some parts of the United I

States, has yet been adopted in Victoria. In a considerable number of cases the conveyance system had adequately met the requhernents of sparsely populated localities, and had relieved the Department of the necessity for expenditure in continuing schools and establishing new ones in such localities. " This system has been in operation for a number of years, and in adci'.r.n to the advantage of'economy it has been found to lesult in more reguar attendances on the paTt of the children "a free ted and '..> increased educational benc-iits, as in nearly every case the children are bsiug convoys'! to .schools of a. higher gr.idc ihan those in which, in the ordinary course, they would have received instruction."

The Victorian scale of payments for conveyances, adopted in August, 1903, provides for a payment of 3d :or each day's attendance of children over six and under twelve, conveyed 2i to 3 miles to- school; 4d each for ;;uch children between six and thirteen conveyed more than 3 miles.' The head teacher is to certify that the children were conveyed. Parents must make all arrangements for the conveyance of their children, and must accept all responsibility in connection therewith." The regulation also provides for the issue of cheap railway tickets to school children—fares, up to 6 miles 2d, over 6 miles 4d. daily. Pertinent to this subject were some discussions by the Board'on two applications for new school facilities. Mr M. J. Corrigan, for himself and other householders, wrote requesting that a iiew school district be defined and a committee elected, lor a part of Waikakahi, about Gray's Corner. - ' The secretary said it would be useless to deliiie a district and elect a committee, as there were not enough children to form a school. There were not ten children—not even enough to get a conveyance under the Department's rules. There were only three families not served by other schools. Mr Barclay argued that if a conveyance was arranged for there must be some one to attend to details, as the Board could not do it. He therefore moved that the request of the people of Gray's Corner be granted, and this was carried. The secretaiy reported on an application for a school at Cannington. He had been promised a written list of children to be provided for, rjut it was not yet to hand. He was told there were 15 of school age, and six younger. Some of them go to the Cave' school, from four to 11 miles. He feared that if a school were built they would not get a, teacher for it, as with 11 on the roll, with such long distances to go, the average would not be more than 10. They could not get a. teacher for Chamberlain with 24 on the roll, therefore it would not be much use building a school for 15. He thought a conveyance would suit the district, though the Cave Hill would be a difficulty. To establish a school there would rob the Cave school of eight or 10, and the Cave was a very small school now.

The chairman-suggested! that when the settlers all got on their sections in Rosewill the number of children would Be increased.

It was decided to hold over further consideration of the matter till next meeting.