NEW PLYMOUTH SCHOOLS.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 March 1922, Page 4

NEW PLYMOUTH SCHOOLS.

SERIOUS OVERCROWDING DEPUTATION TO MINISTBT OFFICER TO INVESTIGATE. The serious condition in which the schools of New Plymouth are situated in regard to accommodation and working conditions was placed before the. Hon. C. J. Parr (Minister for Education) at Stratford yesterday by a deputation from the Taranaki Education Board. Mr 8. G. Smith, M.P., introducing the deputation, said that since the position was first placed before Mr. Parr eight months ago conditions had taken a turn for the worse. Mr. P. J. H. White (chairman of the board) said that in the last eight months the'* school rolls in New Plymouth had increased by 14-8. Overcrowding was rampant and worse in some scnools and classes than in others. If it were not for private schools absorbing a number of pupils he did not know what the position would have beea now. At the Central School, stated ET. White, there were 468 pupils with a floor space of 4941 J square feet; at the Courtenay Street infant school 168 pupils and 1804 sq. feet floor space; at West End 570 pupils, with 5765 sq. feet of space; a’t Fitzroy 326 pupils with :;578J sq. feet of floor space. At the Westown school, held in a badly lighted hall, the roll was 52 and the floor space 646 sq. feet. The primer classes at the Vogeltown School were taught in the Methodist Sunday school and the other classes, totalling 84 pupils, had a floor space of 1156 sq. feet. The Courtenay Street School, said Mr. White, was very old and the first on the list for re-instatement, while the conditions at the other New Plymouth schools were very bad. Mr. White also urged the case of the Waitara school, where increased accommodation was urgently required. He asked that the Minister take some steps to have a start made with the erection of a school at Moturoa to relieve the congestion at West End, and the erection of a new Courtenay Street school to relieve the Central School. The board had a duty to the people and the provision of .better school accommodation was one of the first essentials. Mr. R. Masters, M.P., said that New Plymouth had made great growth and the board were of the opinion that something should be done to increase school accommodation. Schooling facilities had nol increased with the population. He said the fact that a number of children were on the waiting list to enter the West End and Central schools was very wrong, especially in the case of primary schools. He knew of no other cases of school requirements more urgent than those of New Plymouth, excepting perhaps, Tawhiti. Mr. Parr enquired how many children were on the waiting list and Mr. White promised to supply a list later. Mr. Parr said it was absolutely necessary for a time at least to put up with the old schools if they were sound and sanitary. His. duty was to see that the schools were not over-crowded. As compared with other places, the Minister said he did not think New Plymouth was badly off, which surprised him in view of the rapid increase in population. The Central school, for instance, averaged 12 sq. feet per pupil, which was the basis on which the department worked. He wished that some other schools were in the same position. He could not find any case oi gross overcrowding. However, he would send an officer to nave investigations made a* soon as possible.