OVERCROWDED SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 152, 16 March 1918, Page 10

OVERCROWDED SCHOOLS

' PERHAPS ONLY TEMPORARY TROUBLE. That free discussion has taken placo and been aiven publicity on the subject of overcrowded State schools does not mean that the Wellington Education Board is not alive to the situation. That was made quite clear by Mr. G. L. Stewart, secretary of the board, during a brief interview with a Dominion reporter yesterday. Mr. Stewart pointed out in extenuation of the present position that to an extent at any rate the overcrowding of certain classes (not necessarily schools) may be duo to the same cause responsible for the overcrowding of Wellington city and the eager and unsatisfied demand for houses—the flocking of families to Wellington because it was the military and. Government centre. Apart from the wives and families of soldiers who took up their residence here to bo near headquarters, there were women who had come, from all parts of the Dominion to take up work in the Government Departments, wives of absent soldiers and others, and it all meant an increase in the number, of schoolchildren to bo provided for. Mr. Stewart recalled the time, only a few years ago, when there was a distinct falling off in the attendances at some of the city schools, notabh* at the Mount Cook and To Aro Schools, but that phase had passed, and those schools were now well filled.

"Then again," said Mr. Stewart, "there has teen wonderful growth in some ot the suburbs. Take Maranui, for instance. In 1904 there was no school there at all—now there are between 600 and 700 children attending the school there!" The secretary indicated the gradual increase in the number of scholars in growing districts by recounting that the Island Bay School had been recently enlarged by the addition of a large room for infants; that three rooms had been provided at Seatoun (as a. side school"to the Worscr Bay School), that rooms had been added to the schools at Karori, Northland, Wadestown, and Upper Hutt, and (.lie board was at present contemplating malting somewhat extensive additions to tlie main'school at Kelburn. Mr. Stewart was inclined to think that it was not so much the overcrowding of schools as the suitability ■of some, of the older schools for modern requirements that was interesting the teachers. As was the case everywhere they had several old schools, quite sound as structures.- which did not compare favourably with the more modern schools such as that at Brittomart Street, but, of course, that was ouito unavoidable. Thev had to do their best with the buildings nt their disposal, and these were generally in very c°°d order.