FEWER SECONDARY PUPILS
THIS YEAR'S FIGURES FOR CITY IS GOST OF LIVING TO BLAME ? Persons connected with the management of the secondary schools of Wellington are wondering why the increase in tlie attendance rolls is not so marked as in former years. In the case of the Wellington Girls' College a heavy increase was expected, in view of experience of previous years. On that account the College Governors secured tho Sydney Street Schoolroom, which has been altered internally to accommodate about a hundred students. Figures obtained last week from the office of the College Governors show a roll . of Gls girls, as against 603 for tho first term of last year, an increase of only . twelve. This is the smallest increase on , record for somo years past. The fact , that tho Sydney Street Schoolroom has ■ been secured against a larger increaso J iloes not matter very much, as some of the classes at the collcge were over- j crowded, and considerable relief has been gained by sending certain forms to Sydney Street. At the Boys' Collcge tho increaso is a good deal less than any noted for some vears. The total now 011 the roll is , G7B. as compared with 650 for the last term of 1919. During tho rcccss the gymnasium building was converted into ] three classrooms, as it was thought that tho additional accommodation would certatnlv lie needed. It is needed, as a j matter of fact, and here again tho provi- ( sion made has given much relief, al- • though tho increaso in tho number of j students is scarcely as great as was anticioated. ' ; . At tho Technical College there has ac- j tually been a falling-off of about 90 students. The roll number this month is .260. as against 350 last year. This is ! serious, for the collcge will lose on the j reduction between J2150A and .EI6OO a year j tn capitation, and will have to curtail J ifti instructional staff. The decrease is ' mostlv in tho commercial classes. f What is at the bottom of this unex- ' fleeted development? Ono member of J the College Board was inclined to think ' that possibly two causes are at work: (1) r The poor and scattered accommodation ' provided for the children (of which so J much has been said in urging the case J for new and adequate buildings), nnd (2) t the higher cost of living, which may be t causing somo parents to send their cliil- c clren to work, when in better times they a would have sent tho children to a sec- v ondarv school. Good wages are now t being offered for the labour of boys and I irirls, and such earnings would serve to c lighten the ever-Increasing burden of liv- I ing up to tlie same standard as in form- b er davs. ' 1 Taking all three schools together, it e' will ha seen that in tho aggregate there v lins not been an increaso at all, but a de- 0 creaso of fifty students. a g ■ t
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 133, 1 March 1920, Page 5
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507FEWER SECONDARY PUPILS Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 133, 1 March 1920, Page 5
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