SEATOUN SCHOOL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 299, 6 September 1918, Page 7

SEATOUN SCHOOL

THE OPENING CEREMONY

SPEECH BY MINISTER OF EDUCATION

The now school at Seatoun was opened yesterday by the Houi J. A.'Hanan, Minister of Education. A bazaar was held ill tho building during tho 'afternoon, in aid of tho school funds, and the proceedings were interrupted at 3 o'clock in order that the. Minister

might formally declare tho school open. The Hon. J. G. W. Ait-ken, M.L.C., and Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., wore among thoso present. Mr. T. Forsyth, chairman of the Weilirgton Education Board, .said he was suro tho residents shared with the members of the board and tho School Committee, a feeling of lively satisfaction" a& (jhe complotion of tho Seatoun School. The . building would relieve tho congestion at, tlio Worser Bay School, and it would make it unneces-" sary for young 'children to undertake a fairly long .walk iu wot weather. He hoped that tlio new school would bo used fully both in school hours and after school hours. A school ought to bo a mectiug-place for the peoples of a district. Tho site, with an area of an acre and a half, had cost £1410, and the building and improvements, had hi ought the total cost up to £4316. The Education Board had received from tho Department a sum of £3795, so that a balance of over £500 was still required. He intended to approach tho Minister on that point. It clearly was the duty, of tlio Government, through the Education Department, to provide the whole df the funds requir-. Ed for the erection of new schools.

Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P.,.said that tho rapid growth wliioh had made the new school necessary was bound to continue. The city of Wellington was full, and the people were being forced into the outlying areas. He hoped that it would not be long before a school wns opened at Miramar. Difficulties of finance ought not to stand in the way of the erection of necessary school buildings. Sohool attendance was compulsory, and tho provision of adequate ■ accommodation -for scholars'and teachers ought' to be similarly compulsory. He would like to seo pressure brought to bear upon Parliament and the •• Government to securo the full recognition of the national duty to the children;

The Hon. J. G. W. Aitken said ho hoped it would not lie long before Seatoun had a full school, taking all Standards up to tho Sixth? He felt that the site, of the present school was r.ot large enough. An area of an aero and a half did not provide adequate playing space for a suburban school. Tho headmaster of tho Worser Bay School, 'Mv. Rountree, gavo some particulars regarding the development of school accommodation in tho district since the time when the first sohool was opened ill a cottage in Worser Ray about twenty-one years ago. He meiitipned that there were now 421 children oil the school rolls in the district, and the number w : as continuing to increase rapidly. . No fewer than 150 children had bceu added in the last two years. Mr. Rountree asked tho parents to take a practical interest in the work of .the schools and in the improvement of the education system, on which the welfare of. their children depended to a large extent.

Mr. W. Stevens, chairman of tho Worser Bay School Committee, suggested that a-separate State fund 'should be established fon the maintenance of education, in order that the schools might not be dependent on the annual vote of a minimum sum by Parliamont. He handed Mr. Hanan a key of the school, suitably ■ inscribed.

The Miiiistor, after declaring tho school open, einphasispd the importance of the educational system. 110 did not believe that any work could be more important than the training of tho future citizens of New Zealand, and in! order that the training might givo the best possible rosults there must, be co-operation between the educational, authorities and tlio parents. Tho community must not imagine that all of educating the children was done in the schools. A very importantpart was done in tho homos, and the schools could hot achieve great results if they were not backed by earnest and intelligent parents. He was anxious to see in. New Zealand an intelligent and sober democracy. He wanted to sec better school work and moro efficient teachers. ' The "Minister", of Education had a right to call upon parents io extrciso discipline in the homes, to take an increased interest iii tlio upbringing of their children. Ho had a right to ask that bad housing conditions and otlior factors that produced druukards and criminals should ba tackled in. an effective way. Environment played a great part in education, and good work doi:® in the schools could be undone outside them if the proper conditions were riot provided by the community as a whole. He would like to see all the people assisting to remove conditions that were inimical to the welfaro of tlie young people of New Zealand.- Mr. Hanan congratulated the headmaster on the work that

was being done in tho - Worser Bay School, and mentioned that ho was concerned about the future of the teaching profession. Tho best brains of tho country wore not entering the teaching profession to tlio extent required, and that was a serious matter from the point of view of tho educationist. The children ought to have the very bcßt instruction that could be given them, and in order , that they might receive that there must be continuous Dow of bright young men into the teaching profession. Mo did not believo that the schools could bo conducted with full effectiveness without' the masculine touch in tho teaching

Mrs. Hanan, who was asked tc declare the bazaar open, urged that women ought to tako a larger share iu tho control of education. Their cooperation was_ required in order that the schools might reach full effectiveness. The men did their best, but fliey did not always seo things from tho point of view of the women. Sho men-

tioned in illustration that the slieltershed at the new school had been placed the . full width of the playground away Ifrom the school. Tnin would mean that tho children would have to face the weather unnecessarily when rain was falling.