COUNTRY SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 208, 28 May 1921, Page 8

COUNTRY SCHOOLS

CONDITIONS IN TARANAKI

MINISTER’S COMMENTS

The attention of the Minister of Education, the Hon. C. J. Parr, has been drawn to reports placed before the Taranaki Education Board at a recent meeting. The report revealed deplorable conditions under which teachers in country schools were living in the Taranaki district. The Minister said: "I am astonished not only that such conditions exist, but that they were apparently unknown io the Taranaki Board, which was responsible for the schools and for the wellbeing of the teachers." The Minister stated that, as far as he was aware, no applications had been made to the Department by the board with respect to any of the schools referred to in the organising teacher’s report. The board itself apparently did not know tho facts. "It is clear that it would be quite absurd to erect a teacher’s residence for a school where there are eight or nine children, seeing that often such a school disappears through the children growing up or removing from the district,” said Mr. Parr. "The Department has offered to provide movable residences in such places, but, so far, tho Taranaki Board has apparently not availed itself of the offer.

"With regard to the Astwood School, which is specially mentioned, the Department provides a. salary of .£lO5 per annum for the instruction of seven children, but it would be impossible to erect a residence, whore there is not oven a school building. The Department provides a school building where there is an average attendance of nine children, and this is surely as far as it can go. The average cost of school, site, and furniture is about £lOOO at present prices. With regard to the accommodation of teachers, it was the clear duty of the Taranaki Education Board to make sure that when a teacher, who was generally a young girl, was sent to one of these schools, adequate accommodation was provided, for her at some residence. In other districts Education boards refused to send a teacher until assured accommodation was provided. "Now that the board has, become aware of the conditions obtaining in this district.” the Minister added. “I hope that it will endeavour to , take similar steps in the interests of tho teachers. The Department is soniotimes blamed for being too carefnl in erecting teachers’ residences, but we have to lie watchful. Sometimes the Department gets let down. For instance, it is very unfortunate that, while there is difficulty in securing accommodation for teachers who sorely need it, a case has come under the notice of the Department in which it appears that the Department has been induced to approve of the erection of a residence, owing to repeated representations made by the local board, for a, school in charge of a single teacher who is ciot likely to live in the residence even when it is erected.”