OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13062, 12 March 1908, Page 8

OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM.

SPEECH HV THH MINISTER. (PI-SKFS ASSOCIATION TK.I.KC.H AM.) EEILDiNG. March 10. Tho Minister fur Education, tin Hon. Goo. Fouldis. was entertained at a pnhlic dinner to-night. In replying ti tJie toa.st of "The Ministry." proposal hy Mr I*'. Y. I .ei.hb rid go, M.P lor Orona, the Minister said tiiat, In had taken charge oi hi.s Department with a good (1,.; i! of cMthiisins.nl. li< ha<l work<si on the Ed neat ion Committee -uf the 11-jiii-e he fore lux-online Minister ol Education, and thai comin it too had done useful work. Dunns; t.he past m-uiilii he hud i.-.tt.'il littv-si-vi'ii schools in the North Island, am had found that, tiiey -were being conducted on a veiy 111; J; 11 isUindai'd. lit referied especially to ihe Maori schools and said that during last kissiou comiiieut-; were niad<* uniav.vnruhly about these schools and their teadionj. He could pronii.se thai, anxitudy who ran down the Native schools before would be unable to <lo so any longer. As rce.-ndis Ihe cleanliness of th" buildiniiv the dirtiest, ol the ..uiori schools were cieaiier than the- cleanest ci' linns.*- at-t-elidci by the pa'i.oil.is. The Depart--11.0111'., inspectors of Native .schools hud always made cit nil mc.ss m tlie i|i]aliticutioTus i>l the teachers. lii lould not, speak too highly of lis effect amongst- the .Maori people. 'liiis uio Very evident in the auvanivd eivtlis.ili.'ii pruducod. in quite a number <ii schools-—both Native and pakoha ■- valuable work va.~> being done lv agricultural instruction, and lie could nut lli ijl ohr-ci'Vliie that wherei-ei* si|..J| j]|. si ruction was thoroughly given Uie standard of leainlug insid'- ti.e school wa.s higher than *.vh<'r<. it wa.s ne-giect-od. Making allowance for the lact that the teachers might be more enthusiastic in their work in suci: schools, he could not ii.-Ip thinking that the practical work outc-ido. hail a considerable effect in improving the perceptive faculties of the children. lie admitted that- many advances would have to bo made in education in the Dominion bek.ro. the .system would he anything like coni| lelo. However, conflicting interests u.-rc being gradually ■overcome. Tho first groat change had been the institution of a colonial tystem of teachers' -salaries, atul the mussing of the Superannuation Act. Fuder the old •system ;t was said with some truth that buildings wore bung erected out of money rightly belonging to the teachers. The ijiic-iion oi' a colonial scale of stalling v.uus being further considered, and the idea ot a colonial .system of promoting of teachers was now being urged-on him. The adoption oi that would mean th" removal of the last vestige, of control :'i-.-'iii the committees, and. perhaps, from the Education Hoards, lie (iei. ;*dcd the (lev eminent irom the nisi,: union that it was n.-; ,-iu<er.\ ant in Id that tin* great, mass of the people iali'-veii in lis sincerity, even it on • s.-i of extremists h'-hced tnat v was going to,) far. while anothir did not i>e|le\e that it ila-l g"ll" la I* elio'Uel:. lie maintained that its endi ,<-, ,u;t* was to eijiiiiii.se opportunity, and not in a - low one man to have au uniair advantage of another. Xo on- h,,.i a rie'ut to special privileges, and the n;.-u uii-i cui-sjdered that any one c!a.-s .shout,l Ik> iM-nehted by the Government ~• ; ; pi . expense of another was not arguing 'v tile best iiitr*-est, of the i-onimumi y.