EDUCATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 July 1920, Page 1

EDUCATION.

(From Financial Statement)

Excluding tlie .subsidies paid under tbc different Education Acts, totalling £130,060, and national-endowment revenue, amounting to £78,088, the expen dituro from tile Consolidated Fund by the Education Department during the past financial year was £2,031,825, an iiierea.se of £428,830 over that for the previous year. Tlie increased expenditure was partly due to tlie natural increase of population and to tlio greater demands generally for free education—primary, secondary, technical schools, the University colleges, and tlie De* laremciit’s special schools all contributing to tlie additional cost. The extra expenditure was, however, more largely due to the necessity for providing bettor salaries for teachers, and for liiak ing better provision for the maintenuicc of buildings and incidental expenditure directly affected by the great 'ncrease in cost of material and labour everywhere experienced. The Education Act, 1.914, provided i. more liberal scale of staffs and salaries of teachers for our public schools, and these salaries, supplemented by war bonus in' 1917, were permanently increased by a sum of £IIB,OOO in 1918, and were again increased by a further nun of £200,000 under the provisions of the Education Amendment Act, 1919. As a result mainly of these concessions, the annual cost of public-school teachers’ salaries has' increased by 60 per cent, during the past five years, and now amounts to. over one, and a quarter millions. At the same time, in order to prepare for the teaching profession ail adequate supply of young persons with suitable, qualifications, it lias been found necessary not only to increase tlie number materially, but also to practically double the endowments of these young persons in training. An earnest effort is also being‘made to secure a larger number of entrants to the teaching profession by ‘providing short, courses of training for aspirants of suitable education, for it is recognised that a much larger nmnbfl' of efficient teachers is essential if the evil of large classes in our city schools is to lie removed.

Unfortunately,..Nevcui this very great

increased oxpcndffeiro has not been suffi eient to keep pace with the cost of living and to attract to the service all the teachers that are needed. Again tin's year it has been found necessary to reconsider the salaries of teachers of all schools, primary and secondary, and you will be asked to provide an additional amount for this purpose. Advantage has been taken of the opportunity to improve to* some extent the system of providing the salaries of publieschool teachers, so as to give recognition of the principle of reserving the greater increases for the more efficient and deserving teachers. At the same time, in the ease of secondary schools, it is proposed to abolish payments by way of capitation for free-pkee holders, from which each Board has hitherto provided salaries according to circumstances, and to substitute a Dominion scale of salaries applicable to all the schools, under which, within certain limits, regular increments will be provided as experience and efficiency increase.

While the teachers’ claims are thus being met in as liberal a spirit as possible, those of the Inspectors are not being overlooked, and steps are being token to increase the number of these officers and to improve their emoluments.

Though the allowances to School Committees have been repeatedly increased since the beginning oi the war. the total increases so far authorized amounting to 60 per cent., many committees still find it difficult to meet their financial obligations, and further additions have accordingly been made to the vote for incidental allowances this

For some time it lias been recognised * that, in order to overtake the arrean-' 1 of building-work which accrued during > tlie war, and to meet the instant demands for better educational buildings of all kinds, specially liberal financial provisions are demanded. But, further owing to the shortsighted policy of the past, the plans of many of the existing buildings are so unsuitable for school purposes, and their construction is so faulty, that they must now be either remodelled or renewed. Many of our city schools, too, have been placed on such inadequate and unsuitable sites fliat new or additional areas have non to be purchased at enormous cost. The Education Progress Loans Act of lest session, which provides a sum of th.oc and a half million pounds in five years for school buildings and sites, has materially relieved the position, enabling the Department to take up a building programme that has hitherto been found altogether impossible. In addition to the amounts actually paid for new buildings during the past financial year, the present commitments amount to about three-quarters of a. million for primary schools, secondary schools, technical schools University colleges and for hostels for these institutions, and applications for further very laigc sums ar e under consideration. The difficulties in the way, however, of making satisfactory progress on the lines desired arc great—building material is high priced and scarce, and the supply of labour is limited—and any systematic treatment of the position must be the work of a long series of years. During the past year further provisions have been made in the direction of promoting the physical welfare of children, both before and during school age. Tho Government has in contemplation important proposals with the view of creating a bureau of infant welfare, whose functions will include the supervision of the health and wellbeino- of th o children from birth till i they enter school. The number of school medical inspectors and nurses who deal with the ailments of school ’ children is being gradually increased

and their functions extended. A Director of School Dental Services having been appointed some months ago, a beginning will shortly he made in treating dental defects and in training tlie children now to preserve their teeth. Some better system of administering the medical and dental brunches of educational work is desirable, one which, while preserving the identity and special character of these services would secure the co-operation and iniluencc of the Health Department. Action is being taken accordingly.