AF00101289 School file Broken Hill Public 5-15103B - Flipbook - Page 1
I
COOL ENVIRONME
•
is tin tolerably good repair,-but a large
number of the pupils have been forced
out
of
the
building
into
the
more ancient parts of the establishment because • of the . amount
of room occupied ,by
secondary
school pupils, who, pending the erection of a high school'across the way, will
ontinue to be a source of trouble to the
eachinfc staff and deprive many girls ,of
e right to the use of the building
u rich' was set apart for their. exclusive
us . It is highly desirable that the girls
sh uld be under one roof. At present
tha disiderata is rendered impossible.
Consequently, there is congestion and deeentralisation, which seriously handicaps
teachers and pupils.
The older portion of ,the boys' department is in a most delapidated , state.
The outer walls are 'of wood and iron.
The building has.seen about 18% vear4
service.
The foundatIon stone bears
this device:—
This Foundation Stone
was laid by
HON. E. W. O'SULLIVAN, M. L A. ,
Minister for Public Works,
May 2, 1900.
During the whole of that period it. has
been neglected in respect to its entitlement to paint and repairs. The few
repairs (or patches) that have been effected represent the work of pupils!
The outer building is virtually falling
to pieces. The wood about the -verandahs, the improvised wash trough, the
holes that have been worn in the verandahs and the wearing through of the
floor boards by the tramp of several
generations of school children, the exceedingly bad lighting and the paucity of
ventilation are eloquent of the existence
of a departmental laxity which has tailed to speed up with the time.
The window sashes in the boys' department, as in the girls, are in a deplorable state. The exterior is a sorry
affair indeed. The new wing (of brick)
is well built but wretchedly designed.
It is not suitable for the stabling of a
thoroughbred racehorse, much less for
habitation during the most trying hours
of the day by several hundred children.
The poor ventilation is one of the worst
features. The windows and ,doors are
so placed. as not to permit of an adequate current of air running through the
class-roams. What little ventilation
provision there was intended to be fails
miserably in the achievement of its purpose.
At the entrance to the old building are
a couple of galvanised iron tanks.
Though not in use—rain water is held
to be unhygenie these times—the tanks
are unsightly and, unless the Government
does its duty, it, will probably Alt to ,thc
children, Aeachersor parehts to reratree
or have them rfAorea.
. The itkterior of the ebofs'
in, keeping Nritk the tulin-4-itihg aspect
of its exterior. There ,is an ,ur.cared-for,
- S'ot that the
grimy appearance. shout
place is actuallY unclean in the 101-ge
that it is positively: un,healthy, but It
certainly boarders upon the danger lkne.
Gaps in the floor, have been covered
here and there—by the boys With. Woo'd
packing cases.
Along the walls to which the pupils
have their backs turned is 18y. years'
accumulation of 'oil from humant hair.
There is a distinct, unbroken line of
grease from one end of the long room to
the other.
past era
The furniture belongs to
and should be renewed at the, earliest
possible period.
The lighting in the rooms on the
ground floor (thoie facing the line of
lode) is defective; it is worse on the
storey above, because "the loiver region,"
as it is called, is partially shaded by
trees, which shut out the glare. It
is extremely injurious to the eyesight
of the teachers, who labor under innumerable difficulties. The children ,are
also disadvantageously placed. The
whole structure is ill-fitted for its purpose. These conditions militate
the achievement of a high standard of
efficiency. Nevertheless, the teachers,
struggling against big odds, accomplish
wonders.
The walls are "chipped" and dingy;
they almost cry aloud for "paint, more
paint."
A
ATISFACTORY STATE A
CENTRAL SCHOOL
COVERNMENT'S POLICY 0
NEGLECT.
BUILDING FALLING TO DECAY
FOR WANT OF ORDINARY REPAIRS.
DEFECTIVE LIGHTING; INADEQUATE VENTILATION,
DEMANDS OF PARENTS AND
CITIZENS' ASSOCIATION.
Environment is one of the most potent
factors in the education of the child.
LIEducationists assert that a first principal
in education is a set of conditions that
tend to make study a pleasure instead
of a. purely matter-of-fact process that
offers nothing but drudgery to the student amid surroundings which are uninviting in the extreme.
To make it possible for the teacher
to get the best out of his pupils, the
place of learning must be made as attractive, bright and comfortable as possible. "I would have my schools in palaces, not barns," an American educationist once remarked.
That high ideal might be attained some
day; for the present, all that is sought
is an advance upon the barn state.
The modern school is a veritable barn,
though, of course, a vast improvement
compared with that in which other generations were schooled.
That they are not better is, strangely
enough, due to apathy on the part. of
vi those who should be deeply interested in
such matters.
The Government is lax in its duty towards the children, for instead of providing them with the most up-to-date
buildings, instead of housing the scholars
in premises approved by science, its halls
of primary study are permitted to lapse
into a state of disrepair. They invariably have a dingy, uninviting appearance.
The newly-elected Central Parents and
Citizens' Association is determined that
the most unsatisfactory of affairs in respect to the Central and District schools
shall exist not a day longer than is necessary. It intends to force the Government to effect a number of improvements that should have been carried out
years before, if only in an effort to preserve the property.
At its meeting. on Monday night last
it laid down a definite programme, which
it is intended shall be regarded as "the
minimum the Association will accept. its
decisions and demands comprise:--ss
That the members for the die•
tr:ct in the State Parliament,. Messrs,
Jabez Wright and P. Brookfield, be
written to with regard to the urgent
necessity for the erection of new
buildings and repairs to existing buildings.
A new infant school is required;
the present bulding being about 30
years old and utterly beyond repair;
the new infant school to have accommodation for 350 pupils.
Four new class rooms in the
girls' department and improved ventilation.
Two new class rooms for the
boys' department; alterations to the
boys' department to prOvide for new
windows and improved ventilation.
The levelling of floors in all departments.
The erection of partitions and
provisions for suitable furniture in the
boys' department.
Painting and minor repairs to
the boys' and girls' departments.
(P) Weather sheds or sufficiently
reside verandahs for all departments.
Those demands might at first appear
a somewhat large order. But, having
inspected the school building, as . members of the C.P. and C.A. inspected it,
the writer has no hesitation in affirming
that the demands of the committee are
extremely moderate.
