ATTENDANCE CERTIFICATES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 11883, 20 January 1914, Page 4

ATTENDANCE CERTIFICATES.

What is described in a Press Association message from Wanganui as "a strange communication" was, it appears, received at the last meeting of tlie Wanganui Education Board from the Education Department in reply to a letter from the board. It appears that recently the board asked the department to issue special attendance certificates for pupils who had earned five of tlie first or second-class certificates provided by the department. Replying to this the Inspector : General wrote that it was not considered advisable that children and parents should be encouraged to strive after such a faultless at tendance as that represented by the first-class certificate, much less a series of such certificates during the child's school-career.. It was possible that in many cases it would be better for the child to stay at' home. Copies of tho correspondence were forwarded by the board to the Minister for Education, and Mr Allen was asked if the Inspec-tor-General's letter had his approval. On December 29th the Secretary for Education wrote the board stating that the Minister approved of Mr Hogben's letter. The chairman of the board, according to the Wanganui telegram, remarked that the attitude of the Minister and the Department was very strange, in face of the legislation passed at the instance of the department making attendance every day compulsory in the primary schools. For our own part we are unable *to see anything "strange" in the attitude of the Minister or the Department, and it appears to us that that attitude has been misunderstood. Moderation in all things is desirable. It is. obviously ridiculous to suppose that the Education Department is in favour of children remaining away from school without just or sufficient cause. But it is one thing to insist upon regular attendance, and quite another to offer such inducements thereto as might encourage children to go to school when they are not really physically fit to do so. It is this latter possibility which the Department very rightly wishes to avoid. The child who, in tho course of five years, is not subject to some ailment for which it should rightly be kept at home must be a very exceptional child.