The Press. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1903. THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYLLABUS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11753, 30 November 1903, Page 6

The Press. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1903. THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYLLABUS.

The new tylkbus just issued by the Educationi Daparimssit haa an far inst with so little favourable criticism that the views of a city ochoolmaster, which! we' give elsewhere in this issue, will probably come aa a surprise to many. ■ As » matter of fact, the new code, despite its crudities and its occasional exaggerations, is in the direction of improving the standard of education in, this colony. • The scheme is larfely based on the recommendations of the Conference of Sc_ocl. Inspectors held nearly threa yean ago, with- tbe addition of many of tha ideas and suggestions of tha JE-gliah Department, and that being the nose, it would hare dons little ham to farther postpone its issus until after tbe inspectors, who meet again in conference early in the y«ar, had had an opportunity ■of criticising it. Their further suggestions might not improbably have effected numerous improiraMsusna. ,

The syllabus, with fell ita apparent op-preasrre-ess, has, however, fewer tenors for North Quxterbary teachers then far those in some other parts of the colony. In several respact* H does but officially conSrm methods already practised by many of our beat touchers. The use of two readers, which h now compulsory, has been the practice m tha North Ouxterbury district for yeans, and, has been thoroughly succes_ul, in spite of the dictum of a Danedin scboohna-ter that "no teacher can 11 thoroughly oover tho one book at praunt "prescribed.'* in spelling, to which grant _n|wrtet>o6 is now given, is no now depart—*. It has boon cotnnwn throughout this dii_w* lor • kag

-ma, m iar «a th» lower _to_a*rd_ are ocftcwned. Tha aystem, however, cannot with advantage be applied in the higher standards. The teaching of compoaition orally in the loweeo etandard now appears for the first time in the syllabue, bat her* again t_a regulation* simply give official force to a practice with which North Cr-terbury teachers have long been familiar. Grammar has now to be taught as the handmaid of composition, to which much greater relative importance ia given. - Tha alterations in tbe teaching of arithmetio are certainly an advance on the previous practice. Instead of the first atandard being taught only addition and multiplication; subtraction and division not being touched until Standard 11. waa leached, and large numbers being, used, the American system haa been adopted of teaching tha lowest classes all the roles, nabg small numbers. The changes in geography are revolutionary. Tbe topographical method, which has hitherto been in use, has become one of five optional subjects, of whioh four must be taken, and place is given to physical and mathematical geography, instruction in the former being given from the. configuration of the country. Re~ i citation is to occupy a larger place than ! iieretofore. It* educative value is undoubted, but it is obvious that if more time is to he spent on it, some other subject must suffer. Indeed, with the additional time that may be required for science and for handwork, it is difficult to see how all the subject* are to. be got into the allotted hours. The recognition of the Seventh Standard will also odd to the teacher's work, especially as the prescribed syllabi* is equal to that of a District High School.

In the syllabus it must be remembered that much of it consists of recommendation and suggestion. It would, indeed, hare been far better if all this matter had been embodied in a separate pamphlet, and still better perhaps if Mr Hogben had restrained his scientific seal and recommended and suggested rather lew copiously. The effect of the syllabus has yet to be seen. It will- undoubtedly, especially at first, add considerably to the work of the teachers, from whom it will demand greater skill and the eccercise of mucb greater originality. The old code was much more easy. The new one will jerk some members of >U»e profession out of the ruts in which they have been working; and will throw them on their own responsibility to an extent hitherto not required of them, and for which many have not been trained. The effective carrying out of the work of education will, in fact, depend more than over upon the brains of tbe teacher.