SCHOOL BOOKS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8216, 13 August 1915, Page 4

SCHOOL BOOKS.

The information collected by a " Guardian " representative regarding the use of school books deserves the thoughtful attention of members of the Education' Board. The constant changing of the books is not only a great hardship on many parents-—more especially in these da3 rs, when '.every penny of expenditure has to bo carefully watched—-but it is ' the .direct cause of, an unhealthy restlessness on; the part of the children, creating a superficial interest that stops shorf of the acquisition ot' permanent knowledge. If the same haphazard methods were in vogue in the State Departments devoted to tho'servico of the public, nothing but chaos would result. On,the.face of it, it is not a sensible system that leaves' to ihe individual predilections.of inspectors, the selection of the school books. No.one will quesr tion the soundness of .-the judgment of any inspector in the matter of selecting text books, but the porsonal likes and dislikes are factors "that have to be taken into ascount. Tha matter oould very easily be an-anged by the Education Department' requesting the chief inspectors to meet once in, say, every three or four years arid decide upon tho whole range of books to be used in the primary schools for the ensuing period. Wo believe the teachers have as little sympathy with the existing method" as the parents have, and the suggestion ,we have;made would no doubt meet with their approval. Consideration is also due to the booksellers, especially the retailers, whoso losses, through the uncertainty of tenure of any particular book a.re often very, serious. They ai-e entitled to the protection of the authorities just in tho same way as the suppliers of requisites to the other departments, of the State are protected from loss-r----by being advised in ample time of any contemplated change in the nature of goods needed.