THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. “Public Service.” FRIDAY, MAY 14, 1943 SCHOOL LEAVING AGE

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 52, Issue 3263, 14 May 1943, Page 4

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE. MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY. “Public Service.” FRIDAY, MAY 14, 1943 SCHOOL LEAVING AGE

There will be general approval of the decision to bring before Parliament in the coming session a measure providing for the raising of the school-leaving age. As the Minister of Education has pointed out, the raising of the age by one year, from 14 to 15, would create certain difficulties of accommodation and staffing, but against these. temporary problems — which incidentally, should be anticipated and tackled with the least possible delay—can be set very far-reaching permanent benefits, social as well as educational. Recent disclosures as to the extreme youth of some juveniles engaged in factory and other work have emphasised that in time of war and labour scarcity there is an increased tendency to place children in full-time em ployment as soon as they have fulfilled the bare minimum of their legal obligations in respect of schooling. It is important, therefore, that’ this obligation should be adequate by modern standards. It will remain to be seen how the proposed measure will affect the existing provision that a child may leave school before reaching the minimum age, if qualified to hold a proficiency certificate. Many children thus qualify at the age of 13 or even 12. It becomes a question whether the raising of the leaving age to 15 would be widely effective in practice unless the standard of proficiency is also raised, or, alternatively, a. compulsory year of post-proficiency training provided for in special cases.