EDUCATION IN DOMINION

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 273, 30 August 1946, Page 2

EDUCATION IN DOMINION

NEED FOR REFORMS SEEN COMPLETE REVISION OF ACT SUGGESTED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 29. A suggestion that an agricultural high school should be established in the South Island was made by Mr M. 11. Oram (Opposition, Alanawatu) when he spoke in the Budget debate in t lie House of Representatives this evening.-He devoted almost his whole hour to a discussion of education questions. Mr Oram said that the Budget devoted seven out of 10-40 lines to education. He considered the Government had given little more than lip service to education, and much more could have been done in the last 10 years had it really desired to fulfil its promises. Pre-school activities should, lie. said, lie organised locally and assisted in every way possible by the Mate. The present compulsory school leaving age of 15, if extended to IC, would be in line with the movement in other countries, but it was a question on which there was not unanimity. Every effort should be made to induce pupiis to stay on at secondary schools. Mr Oram said the Government must at once implement its promise, made to school teachers, of smaller classes. Mr A. S. Richards (Government, Roskill): Before Housing? Mr Oram: They put their request for smaller classes before their own needs. Mr Oram said it was desirable that primary school children should pass lo intermediate schools, which were no longer in the experimental stage. Intermediate schools had an advantage in that they were exploratory, and acted as “clearing schools,” and discovered the children’s capabilities. He believed that intermediate schools should be developed wherever possible. Country Schools

Country schools had been neglected in the past, but their importance to the needs of fne Dominion could not be exaggerated. Mr Oram considered that all educational facilities given to city and town schools should be provided for country schools, and toward that end lie suggested the consolidation of country schools. In this direction lie admitted there were difficulties, but they should be tackled with enthusiasm and courage. Discussing secondary schools, Air Oram said these should have the utmost freedo mto develop, and whereever possible they should not be coeducational. Technical schools also idled an important place, and he thought there was room for the establishment of a technological institute. The agricultural high school began as an experiment in Eeilding, and had achieved considerable success, and had proved itself so conspicuously that, he considered two more should be established in the North Island and another in the South Island. Air Oram said it was necessary to attract persons with the best character and brains to the teaching profession. Too often in the past people had just drifted into the profession, which, in comparison with other professions, did not offer sufficient rewards. As a first priority, he said (hat the Government must ensure that pay and conditions of employment in the teaching profession were at least equal to those obtaining in other careers. If that were done, it would go a long way to kill many of the present education ills. There should be no bar to prevent teachers transferring from one branch to another, and a considerable improvement could be made to the grading system. It was essential that at least one more training college should 'be provided, and he! considered that one should be attached to one of the agricultural colleges. The time was ripe when the Education Act shorn.' ’pe completely revised, consolidated, and brought up to date, and it should incorporate rer forms to meet present-day needs.

Functions of Universities

The true function of universities, which were the centres of cultural life and progress, was to expand and diffuse knowledge, and to carry on research, and all these activities should be brought down to the community. University education was handicapped by a multiplicity of authorities—no fewer than 18 of them—who were in some way concerned with university work. Before the utmost benefit could be obtained from universities, and before they could fulfil their true function in the community, it would be necessary to reconstitute the University Senate, and to reorganise the administration of universities generally.