LONG HOLIDAY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21574, 9 February 1940, Page 7

LONG HOLIDAY

No School For Many

Children

Serious Problem In

England British Official Wireless (Received February 8, 6.30 p.m.) RUGBY, February 7. Replying in the House of Lords to the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr Cosmo Lang) who asked whether the Government was in a position to make a statement of its educational policy under present conditions with particular reference to the problems caused by the evacuation of children of school age, the President of the Board of Education (Earl De La Warr) said he viewed the present education conditions, especially in the danger areas, with the same concern as the most ardent critic, but with no sense of apology. What happened was the logic of evacuation. That was no reason for accepting the existing position, although it was the circumstances of air raid danger and not neglect which caused the delay in the children’s return to school. Touching on the position in reception and neutral areas, the Minister said that there were still 400,000 official evacuees as well as many tens of thousands of unofficial evacuees. Of these between 80 and 90 per cent were working full time at school. Some of the older children were short of practical facilities but soon some wculd be going to 20 new camps which had already been allocated to schools. Turning to the danger areas he said that a further lead must be given by the Government if the children in towns were to be saved from demoralisation. Of nearly 1,500,000 still in the danger areas some 400.000 children were receiving neither schoolings nor medical care. Whatever the risk of air raids—and he thought the risk still great—the situation could not be allowed to continue. He added that although education was not simply an affair of the Board of Education, but a system of partnership with the local authorities, he accepted the responsibility of the Government to give a lead especially in war-time and he grouped the help which the Government could give local authorities under three heals—compulsory school attendance, return to school buildings, and air raid precautions. While there were no facilities for schooling it was dishonest to speak of enforcing attendance but in the immediate future every child would have to go to school somewhere. Children Must Be Sent The Ministed added: “If parents are not willing to send their children to the comparative safety of the reception areas—a possibility which has been and is still open to every child—then they must send them to school in the towns.” As soon as accommodation was available even if only at first for part-time, attendance would be enforced and assistance to this end would be given the local authorities. Regarding the return of buildings the Minister said that commandeering by the Government was not the most serious problem as the Departments had been helpful in relinquishing, and he instanced the Office of Works which had handed back 72 out of 79 of the schools taken. The real problem was that where school buildings had been taken by a local authority for civil defence purposes this problem was being met in consultation with the Minister of Security and Health. The authorities would be instructed to proceed in the building of air raid shelters and soon as completion was in sight the children would be admitted to the schools.