CO129-591-3 Education Department- revised grant code 24-10-1945 - 11-12-1945 — Page 63

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CAPITAL

GRMATS

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Fart III of the Code, dealing with Capital Grants, is difficult

to reconcile with the rest of the Code. Given the basis on which the recurrent

Grant is calculated, it follows that there will be no margin between income and

expenditure in the running of the school. The Code logically provides for the pay-

ment of full rent in the case of a school living in rented premises. It also logical

ly provides for a Depreciation Allowance to cover future rebuilding of premises

owned by the school authorities. But it makes no provision by which a school

living in rented quarters can provide for the building of its own premises. The

Government may provide 50% of the cost provided the other 50% is already on hand.

But there is no source of school revenue from which any portion of this required

50% can be saved. No matter how successfully the school is run, no matter how much

it extends, it will never have a margin for development at the end of its school

year. For the same reason those schools, and there are some, which have been built

in the past on loans and with either no help or very little help from the Government are now faced with a situation in which they have no means of saving

on school expenses the means to meet their interest and sinking fund.

SUGGESTED ALTERATIONS

What alterations should be made in the Code to meet these objections

is a matter for Government to decide. sut if it is still desired to base the Grant

on the difference between expenditure and income we venture to put forward the following proposals which, if accepted in toto and not nullified by new qualifica- tions to other parts of the Code would secure the freedom for which we are pleading, without losing to Government the general direction of educational policy:

1. Fees: Minimum fees only should be fixed by Government, leaving the

school free to charge higher fees to pupils who could afford

them and lower than the minimum to those who could not. The

school income for purposes of estimating the Grant should be

75% only of the total estimated minimum fees. The estimated

25% remaining over should be at the free disposal of the

school authorities for such educational projects as are not

provided for in the Code, without necessity for the previous

approval of, but with the obligation of subsequently account-

ing to, the Director of Education.