EDUCATIONAL.

Press, Volume XV, Issue 1982, 23 August 1869, Page 2

EDUCATIONAL.

TO THE BDITOIi OF THE PUK3S. Sib, —It is almost superfluous to say that the constantly recurring subject of tho best means of improving the educational eyetem of the country is deserving tho cloac attention not only of the more intelligent, but tho co?. dial co-operation of tho whole- community. Xα say with some writers that tho country is apathetic on tho subject, would, I think, be a mistake. Show tho people that money forms tho einewa of education as well as of warthat to have good schools there must bo r.o niggard stinfc of money—that under whatever name, or by whatever moans, tho money is procured, whether by direct taxation or by reserves of land, it must and can only coma out of the pookets of tho community—ex« plain this to them, and I am euro there mil be no lack of interest on the subject.

The national ey9tem as partially inaugurate/ here, if fearlessly and energetically carried<m( in its integrity, would in. a tow years placed education of the province beyond the teaoho! cavil or detraction. But such aa the tnastoris, bo is the school; and if means are not adopted to raise the social position as well as the intellectual capacity of tho teachers, howover good the general system may bo, every effort will prove abortive. Aβ a first step in improvement, I would suggest that the'qualifications required of a teacher be raised. At present it ie far too low, and cortainly not beyond the capacity of a third or fourth ' form lad in any ordinary school at; home. We dan imagine what the able class of men who form the ranks of the parochial teachers of Scotland would think of the colonial capacity, on being told the attainments exacted pf the candidates forjour schools. Iα reality s to pass his examination the teacher requires nothing beyond an elementary knowledge of what is vulgarly called the. three R'a—namoly Witing and 'rithmelic. Men whose attainments are bounded by the knowledge that Masulipatam is not infNew Guinea, that Moses was not the father of Jothro's daughters that the arithmetical differs from the geometrical ratio, or that five is not the cube of twenty-five, and who are as innocent of the nature of the directrix of a parabola, as waa Acteon of his fate before he took the unhallowed peep—these are not the individuals puited for teachers in' the present onli/|htsnerl age. There are doubtlessly men in burflcßooli of cuiihteted 1! minds end liberal eiutitftion, whose humour muefc have beea titillated by the elementary problems given them by tho examiner $o eurmount, which , would ; hriig them back in memory to the time when tbsf, had barely left their mother's apron strings.

; The manner of cppductipg these esamissfi tione is also faulty, and liable to lead to abuse. .They should take place in the presence of tho board of education, or in the preeonce of an iequal number of educated genfeleinao, ioiUid" )of a* at pfeeenfc, lift and>ottly iai toe"iptteaaw jof, thQ ipepeqtor of ecjioole. ( Howew ppartial the' inspector may" be, the imputation of -venapty.ie aure to be.cast upon him, under the ipresent' arrangement,, But the morel principles of the .inspector to ,be of a low tjpe» can it be qaldulated how ma)sj jem iff wouli take to rectify tne evil which might be entailed ■upon the country. ,If the teacher oaco passes his examination' there is no check j for tlio majority of the local boards are incapable of teating the capabilitiea of any feeaclier .sriiomay present himself, an a-Candidate for theif school. ■'•

I Another, matter which I wish to adfert to fat present ie the uriquftlified power of dtsmieaal held by foe local boards. T his delqg* ;tion of arbitrary power hae, fcpmyows per , 'eonal knowledge, prevented men of scholarly iattainmente from presenting themselvca for jempbyment. Nothing so much as a eecuntf jof tenure of office would tend to fill the echoolJ iwith properly qualified men 5 and it appears {the best way to attain this is to rest tho Ipower of dismissal in the hands of tho in* 'habitant of the school diatnefce, tp be dieted. jUpoir through a rote of the majority of s£ •least three-fourths of the inhabitants. As I consider this a point of wry importance I shall, with your kind revert to it on some future occasion. r ' - Uhqchakt Macphsbsok.