BUSINESS TRAINING

Waipa Post, Volume XXIV, Issue 1638, 7 May 1925, Page 5

BUSINESS TRAINING

THE SCHOOL NECESSITIES.

ACCOUNTS AND WRITING,

(By Telegraph. Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, Wednesday

A reply to requests by the Auckland Primary School Committees’ Association that commercial education be given in district high schools, and that cursive writing be made compulsory in the primary schools, was received by the Education Board to-day from the Department. The Department pointed out that some instruction in commercial work was now given by members of the permanent staff, and that was all that could be arranged at presfht. It added that it approved either print, script or cursive writing in the schols, and did not consider it advisable gto make cursive writing compulsory.

;Mr Boddie remarked that many farmers had got into difficulties through inability to keep accounts, and he thought both boys and girls in the district high school should get such commercial instruction as would enable them to keep accounts in a proper manner.

Messres Patterson and King held that both boys and girls should have such instruction as would enable them to keep household accounts and write a decent business letter. The Board decided to recommend the Department to have commercial classes at the district high schools compulsory. On the subject of writing, opinion was expressed that print script by infants was a good foundation for subsequent good handwriting. Mr Brownlee stressed the point that 70 per cent of the parents, and a great majority of the business people were dissatisfied with the handwriting of pupils just from school. The Board decided to recommend that cursive writing be compulsory in standards four, five and six.