THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1923. MAINTENANCE OF SCHOOLS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4525, 9 February 1923, Page 2

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. Motto : Public Service. MONDAY. WEDNESDAY. & FRIDAY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1923. MAINTENANCE OF SCHOOLS.

The Auckland Education Board is vigorously protesting against the Education Department’s ■ refusal to subsidise moneys' earned by school chiidicn in the cleaning and maintenance of schools t,o which they have donated such moneys, and is urging complete reconsideration. The Board’s main argument is that allowing the pupils to do this work encourages self-help This argument may be worth, some consideration, though it is quite evident that the children should, if properly brougnt up, receive sufficient encouragement in the’r own homes. The boy who is useful in his own home is usually attentive to his school work. Apart from these considerations, .however, it is extremely doubtful if the Department would be acting wisely in acceding to the Education Board’s request. It is not unlikely, in fact, that by acknowledging the Board’s request the Department would create a precedent that would ultimately become geneial practice. And it cannot very well be contended that the cleaning of school by pupils should be encouraged especially if a money value is to be placed oh the work. The average scholar of to-day who does his utmost to assimilate all that he is asked to learn has’ sufficient of his. time occupied by work appertaining to scholastic education, and should, apart from the .home duties that most sensible parents .expect to see carried out, devote the balance of time to healthy recreation. It is doubtful, also, if the introduction of a wageearning principle is desirable among chiidicn. The tendency nowadays is to encourage boys' to aim in the direction „of immediately earning big wages, and as a result many who could have become competent tradesman earn a man’s wage almost as soon as they leave school. Not infrequently these misguided boys help to swell the ranks of casual labour. Curiously enough, educational experts arc now often stressing this point, yet, by introducing the money element. the Auckland Board is taking a line of action diametrically opposed to it. Self-help is best encouraged by the doing of something for’ others, free of < barge, and without any hop? of material gain. There may, of course, be some country schools where it is impossible to obtain the services of a cleaner, in which case some boys would be only too willing to do th? work out pf Ibve for their school. The necessity .for this, howeve' - , would be ra’-e. While, therefore, the whole system in connection with the payments for upkeep and maintenance of schools could very well be entirely reorganised, the proposal to introduce a new method of cleaning schools oy the pupils’ labour—for the payment of subsidies for such work would undoubtedly lead to it becoming general —should not be encouraged. It is to be hoped that the Department will adhete to its present attitude.