The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, April 1st, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 974, 1 April 1911, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, April Ist, 1911. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Speaking at Apiti this week, Mr F. Piraui, Chairman of the Wanganui Education Board, referred to the enforcement of the new provisions for compulsory attendance at primary schools. Mr Piraui said last year the Legislature had amended the law of compulsory attendance at day schools by mak ng attendance compulsory every time the school in the district is open, instead of allowing one day’s grace —which he had christened “washing day’’—in each week. It had been found that in some districts many pupils regularly absented themselves from school one day every week without reasonable cause, detrimentally affecting the discipline of the school and injuring its status. It had therefore been thought wise to abolish that oneday exemption, but to widen the area of exemption for special causes. For iustnace, compulsory attendance was not enforced where either parent of the child was ill and that necessitated the child staying at home, or for severe stress of weather; while the old reasons for exemption still stood good, namely, residence more than three miles from a school, illness of the child, bad roads, or other reasonable cause. In carrying out these provisions the Board had given instructions that as little hardship as possible should be inflicted on parents, that in case a doctor’s certificate of illness could not be procured, it would be quite sufficient to satisfy the teachers of the truth of any excuse tor absence, and a truant inspector had been appointed whose duty it was to encourage a better attendance and not to persecute people.