SCHOOL AGE LIMIT

Waipa Post, Volume 48, Issue 3468, 19 May 1934, Page 7

SCHOOL AGE LIMIT

MINISTER REPLIES TO CRITICISM.

“EXTRAVAGANT STATEMENTS'

DEPRECATED.”

WELLINGTON, Friday. A spirited reply to criticism of the Government in excluding five year olds from the schools was made by the Minister of Education, Hon. R. Masters, last evening, when a deputation placed before him a number of resolutions passed recently by school committees in the Wellington province.

The Minister outlined the reasons for the Government’s policy, and said it had never occurred to him that any child was going to suffer moral deterioration as a result of being home with its mother. Some very extravagant statements had been made as to the effect exclusion from school was likely to have upon children under the age of six. It had even been suggested by a speaker at the recent conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute held in Wellington that the present system encouraged child slavery. What was worse was that nobody had refuted the suggestion, which was a direct insult to the farmers. WORTH A TRIAL.

Members of the Auckland Headmasters’ Association, the Minister said, had alleged that the charge would result in an Increase in juvenile delinquency. “Now, if these people would only come out and be straight and honest, and say this affects the grading of our schools as well as our salaries, and we want the thing altered, we would know where >we stood,” Mr Masters said. “Instead of doing that, however, they wrap their argument up in different kind of stuff. If they are embarking on an agitation for an increase in salary, well, let us have it.” Mr Masters said he did not think it could be claimed, from a medical point of view, that the children were suffering an injustice in being kept out of the schools until they had reached the age of six. The department felt that the experiment was worth a trial, and it was too early yet to come to a decision as to whether it was a success or a failure. It had been freely stated that since the change was made children were going into the private schools by the hundred. A voice: That is quite true.

Mr Masters said that statistics proved otherwise. The records showed that there were 44 private registered schools in the Wellington and Marlborough provinces, and :it was interesting to find that in t,he infant classes there were 195 children less than there were last year. This, he thought, was an effective reply to the argument that the private schools were crowded with five year olds. SMALLER CLASSES.

In replying to a request for smaller classes, the Minister said he did not think it was generally known that great progress had been made in New Zealand in recent years (in reducing the number of pupils taught by individual teachers. The average number of pupils per adult teacher in England based on the roll number had been 33 for the last three years. Allowing for an average attendance of 90 per cent, this would be reduced to 30. The average attendance in New Zealand was nearly 93 per cent, and a return showing the size of classes since 1924 was as follows:—

QUESTION OF STAFFING. The Minister said that to reduce all classe to 35 in average attendance or in roll number would involve an increase in the number of teachers, thereby causing greater expenditure on salaries and training, and also an increase in the capital cost in many schools because of the additional accommodation which would be required. This year the employment of teachers under the rationing, scheme had reduced the size of classes very considerably, there being now three times as many classes under 31 as there were in 1932, and one-tenth as many classes over 60 as there were in the same year. On thd question of staffing, the Minister said he was quite prepared to admit that undue changes caused a great amount of inconvenience in the schools, and he was hopeful that this would be minimised in the futui'e. An attempt to remedy the position had been made recently, when a condition was included in the regulations that a teacher must stay two Decembei’s in the one school. It had been urged that it should not be necessary for a teacher to be transferred from school to school in order to gain grading marks, but it should be borne in mind that an infant mistress, for example, was paid a- salary becaulse she was an infant mistress, and therefore a specialist in her work, and not because she happened to be Miss Brown or Miss Smith. CAPITATION GRANTS.

Dealing with capitation grants, the Minister said that when the economy measures were enforced the position of the primary schools was taken into consideration, and no reduction made. Moreover, a sum of £3OOO was allowed education boards to vote to schools where special circumstances arose. The expenditure on school committee allowances in 193233 was £104,516, in 1933-i34 £104,218, and for this year £IOI,OOO. It appeared that there would be a further decrease in the future on account of the falling-off in school attendances. It was a fact that there would be attending the schools in 1936 6000 children less than there were today, A member: To what is that attributable ? The lower birth l’ate ? The Minister: Yes.

Another member: Hasn’t the exclusion of the five year olds something to do with it (Laughter.) Mr Masters said he proposed to ask Cabinet to grant an additional sum this year for the purchase of materials for handiwork in the schools. In referring to the employment of teachers, he defended the policy adopted by the department, and said he was satisfied to accept the views of the teachers rath-

er than those of the ;Randwic,k School Committee, wherever Rand-wick happened to be. He hoped that by 1937 there would be no unemployment among teachers. He had no regrets about closing the four training colleges, and as soon as better wages could be paid to the teachers, would be paid.

1924 1932 1933 1934 Under 31 124 258 387 847 31-40 405 758 911 1029 41-50 716 1197 1106 1049 51-60 700 825 . 575 379 61-70 359 107 52 10,