Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1880. INFANTS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue 10, 5 October 1880, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1880. INFANTS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

The Napier Education Board have called attention to a rather important matter in connection with the present financial arrangements as between the Government and the Boards. The matter in question is the payment of the capitation fee upon children under school age who attend the public schools. In the Education Act " school age " is said to mean " any age between the years of five and fifteen, reckoned in each case from the last preceding birthday," and the whole Act proceeds on the assumption that only children between the ages mentioned are to attend, and be paid for. It appears, however, that sub-section 2 of section 8 of the Act states that there is to be appropriated out of the consolidated revenue £3 15s for each child in average daily attendance at a public school. Taking advantage of this loophole in the Act, Mr Ballance, when Minister of Education, issued a circular informing the respective Education Boards that the £8 15s per head would be paid for every child that attended school, irrespective of age. The consequence is that the £3 15s per annum has ever since been and still is paid for all children who attend the public schools, notwithstanding the fact that a veiy large proportion of those who are in average daily attendance are infants, who derive no possible benefit from attendance at school, and who are merely sent there so that their mothers may spend the time they would have to devote to their children in occupations of a more congenial character. This matter, it will be seen at a glance, affects more particularly the large centres, where the population is

compact. Iv scattered districts it is almost impossible lor little children of two or three years old to be shoVelletfiuto the school by their mothers, owing to distance from the schoolbuilding, lmt in towns, a.nd especially in large towns, the case is different. There are four or five Board schools in each of the big towns, and it is comparatively easy for mothers to relieve themselves of the irksome task of minding their young children for several hours during the day, by posting them off to the State school. This should be put down with a firm hand, as it is simply preposterous for the public schools to be thus turned into Government nurseries. The school age is fixed low enough in all conscience — five years — and any children in school at a younger age than that must be a drag upon the progress of other scholars. Considering the heavy cost of education, this matter is of much more importance than at first sight appears. Piobably at least a fifth of the scholars attending the public schools of the country are beneath school age. By refusing to recognise such any longer, we believe a saving of nearly £40,000 upon the Education vote could be effected. The Napier Board have called the attention of the Government to the matter, which is one of great importance, and we trust the sequel will be the cessation of the payment of capitation fees for children under school age, and their total exclusion from the public schools. Iv matters of this character retrenchment could be effected far easier than by a cheeseparing policy regarding poorly-paid Civil Servants.