COST OF EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 May 1922, Page 5

COST OF EDUCATION.

MINISTER OPPOSES ECONOMY. JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SYSTEM THE EXAMPLE OF AMERICA B, Telegraph.—Press Association. i Wellington, Last Night, f The Minister for Education, speaking to-day at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute, re* minded the delegates that all educa* tional movements were governed byt the question of finance. Expenditure on education this year totalled £3,500,<X)O, of which salaries accounted foi £2,000,000. The total of £3yS<M>>)o9 was allocated as under: Primary cation 78 per cent.; secondary 9 pes cent; technical 3 per cent.; university’ 3 per cent.; special schools 2 per cexxLjt boardifl§ out schools 5 per ent. 4. This expenditure of £3,500,000 wus> he held, justified, and he was prepasm to stand by that in Parliament. were certainly not spending too mueb on education. In America junior higb schools had sprung ahead with amazing success. Ten years ago only 14 such schools existed, while now there were over 1000. Australia was also taking up this movement, and ha thought the time now ripe for New Zealand to at least make an experi* ment in this direction. He thought that the best step would be to establish an intermediate school bridging the gulf between the primary and secondary systems. It had beert reported that 40 per cent, of the pa?*' ils left school without attaining proficiency. This was a positive danger. They should gather in the loud-mouth-ed demagogues loitering at the street corners.and give them a chance to make good by medium of these schools and not be a prey to others. America was spending money like water ou. education.