Hawke’s Bay School Rolls Are Lower

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 38, 15 February 1937, Page 2

Hawke’s Bay School Rolls Are Lower

(Special to “Times.”) HASTINGS, Last Night. “The decrease last year 1u the school population, excluding the new admissions of five-year-olds totalling 1899, is approximately 7.7 per cent, which is fcomewhat in keeping with the downward tendency of late years,” said the secretary, Mr W. L. Dunn, of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board attendances for 1936 at the schools in the board’s area. The report stated that the number of pupils on the roll of publie schools at the end of December was 15,643, an yesthorday when reporting upon the increase of 822 over that of the previous year. This meant that tho school population had increased by 5.3 per cent, A special return which had been compiled for the department showed that 2358 five-year-olds who had not previously attended a public school were' admitted to the schools in this district, ho said. Of this number 459 could have been admitted to school in the lost term of 1935 under the legislation then in force. The remainder, 3599, might therefore fairly be described as the five-year-old enolmrent; under the present Government’s legislation. This number represented an increase of 13 per cent over the average weekly roll for 1935. The avorage weekly roll for 1936 was 15,334, an increase of 773 on that for 1935, and the average attendance was 14,051, an increase of 546. Tire percentage of attendance for 1936, however, was lower than for the previous year, being 91.6 per cent, as against 92.7 per cent in 1935, a difference of 1.1 per cei