BACK-BLOCKS CHILDREN

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1784, 20 July 1926, Page 8

BACK-BLOCKS CHILDREN

HOW TO BEST EDUCATE THEM.

THE VALUE OF CENTRAL, SCHOOLS. The value of tht consolidated schools over the one-teacher system for country school children were extolled in the House of Representatives last Friday, several members advocating a broader extension of the scheme. The conveyance of children to the consolidated schools was referred to by the Leader of the Nationalist party (Mr G. W. Forbes). (He said, that the present system of having one teacher in charge of a small school wais'iiot giving the country children the best chance. Up to the present time the country children's education had been severely .handicapped, and -he considered that where there wgs'Nthe oport unity of sending children"to' the central schools it shoujld be availed of. A mlore liberal administration in this direction was wanted; even if more expenditure would have to be undertaken in the expansion of the consolidated school system it would bs warranted. Sir George 'Hunter (Waipawa) urged on ithe Minister of Education that Letter consideration should be given the children in hack-blocks schools. Sole teachers laboured under great difficulties, one of which was the impossibility in some cases of securing suitable accommodation, Mr J. Horn (Wakatipu) considered ■that the item provided on the estimates for the conveyance of children to the ' schools wS's not sufficient. He recommended that further provision should be made in the supplementary estimates. Sir John Luke (Wellington North) appealed to the Minister to unlock the exchequer and do away with the soleteacher system, apart from the lighthouses. Education facilities should not be hampered because of a small matter of finance. Mr T. W, Rhodes (Thames) asked thai a grant should he made to the •local education authorities for the conveyance of children in the backbloc'.cs who had to go to school on horseback, or who had to be conveyed across a river. Mr W. J. Jordan (Manakau) 7nentioned the great (Drawbacks connected with the technical school system on account of the lack of accommodation at the schools, and asked- that the grants for the purpose should' he increased. The Minister of Education (the non. R. A. Wright) said that, unfortunately, althOTjfeh a saving could be effected, the parents would not in isome cases agree to their children being conveyed to a central point. He could, only hope to educate them up to the advantages at the consolidated school system. Last year the Government had spent £9OOO on the conveyance of children to schools. There were a number of schools in some .districts that could well he consolidated.