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86
HEALTH OF SCHOLARS IN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS.
It has for long been apparent that the next great advance in the
improvement of the national health conditions would be made in
respect of the children attending public elementary schools. The
aggregating of large numbers of children in schools necessitated by the
statutory elementary education has brought with it its own particular
risks to the child as a direct result of the system.
But apart from the school-imposed risks, for which the responsibility
of the State cannot be unheeded, investigation has shown that
large numbers of children were receiving at the public charge an
education, the value of which was greatly or entirely negatived by the
more urgent hygienic needs of the child.
Disease in children, even of an advanced and serious character,
may be entirely overlooked by parents and teachers intelligent and
careful in the things with which they are acquainted, but lacking in
the perception which comes from special training. Nevertheless, the
exercise of common sense and careful though untrained observation on
the part of teachers has brought to light large numbers of cases of
serious illness among scholars which had quite escaped the attention of
the parents.
For some years past, advantage has been taken of this watchful
care of the teachers of their little proteges, to discover cases of illness
among school children and to deal with them by means of the existing
public health administrative organisation.
Much useful work has been done and I desire here again to
tender to the teachers my thanks for their co operation and to express
my appreciation of the valuable aid they have rendered in this work.
The Education Administrative Provisions Act will place this work on
a much more satisfactory footing and will supplement in inany
important respects the work which since 1903 has been carried on
with such beneficial results.