FIVE-YEAR-OLDS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 138, 13 June 1934, Page 19

FIVE-YEAR-OLDS.

SCHOOL ENTRANCE.

THE INSTITUTE'S CASE.

STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT.

Tho main reasons why, in the opinion of tho New Zealand Educational Institute, tho raising of the school entrance ago was not in the interests of the great majority of the children affected, are set out in a statement by Mr. 0. A. Banner, president of the institute. Mr. Banner stated that an inquiry into the actual effects of tho legislation on the children had recently been conducted by tho' institute. "It should be emphasised," said Mr. Banner, "that we are not asking that parents should be compelled to send their children to school when they reach the ago of five, but merely that they should again be permitted to enrol them at that age if they so desire. We fully rccogniso that circumstances sometimes render it inadvisable to send a child to school until it reaches the age of six or even seven; Question of Age. "Tho question of tho age at which any given child should go to school is a complicated one, involving as it docs a consideration of the nature of his homo, the typo of school available, and the particular characteristics of the child himself. It follows that the issue cannot bo argued in the abstract, and that it is necessary to think in terms of groups of children more or less similarly circumstanced. "First of all there is the normal five-year-old from an average home. For the majority of such children we believe that the home, vitally important as it is, cannot supply everything that is necessary for full development, and that tho school has its special contribution to make. Wo have ample evidence that, for a variety of reasons, many mothers find it 1 difficult if not impossible to keep their children fruitfully and happily occupied, and that as a result tho children tend to become bored and irritable. In tho infant school, on the other hand, tho child is under tho skilled guidance of people whose solo duty it is to provide him with constructive outlets for his super-abundaut energy. In the second place tho school provides the child with the opportunity for daily association with children of his own age."

"We believo that tho physical aspect of the question has been overemphasised. The typical New Zealand live-year-old is a healthy youngster and wo agree with those medical authorities who etato that the raising of the school ago has had no marked effects on the health of the majority of children. It is tho general development of personality rather than mere physical health which has suffered as tho result of the legislation. Here again, however, there are special cases. One result of the raising of tho school age is that the child's first school medical examination is postponed for varying periods up to one year. AVo have, therefore, asked infant mistresses and social workers whether they knew of any cases where the excluded five-year-olds were suffering from physical defects which would have been detected and remedied had they been admitted to school. About half of the infant mistresses and a large minority of tho social workers, stated that such cases have come under their notice— cases of defective eyesight, bad posture, dental caries, neglected tonsils and adenoids, nervous instability, etc. A large number of infant mistresses find thilt faulty speech habits arc more dcepiy ingrained. Adequate Provision. "The rcadmUsion of the five-year-olds is, in our view, but one .step iu the direction of making adequate provision for the physical and educational needs of young children. Despite the progress that lias been made during the last 20 years or so, some infant schools are still far from ideal. While we believe that no infant school is so bad that some at least of the five-year-olds in tho area it serves could not benefit by attending it, we arc strongly of the opinion that infant schools should be improved. We need more buildings of open-air design, space for free movement, more material for constructive use, smaller classes to allow of a larger measure of individual attention, better provision for the physical care of children and an education based more firmly on tho needs and interests of the child himself. Futhermore, we are convinced that there is urgent need for the provision of kindergartens and nursery schools for many children below the age of five."