INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20898, 4 July 1933, Page 6

INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS.

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE'S OPPOSITION. DETAILED REASONS STATED. A statement that the New Zealand Educational Institute considers that the pursuance of the movement for establishing intermediate schools under the regulations recently published is inadvisable, is made in the Julywssue of "National Education," the magazine of the institute. Detailed reasons for this attitude are given, the chief being the present state of financial embarrassment of the country, the exclusion of the five-year-old pupils from the primary schools, making reorganisation difficult, the unseasonable time, which makes it impossible, the institute claims, to place these schools on a secure enough foundation to allow them to function at full efficiency, ana the reduction of teaching power of the intermediate schools. ''The establishment of the inter-! mediate school system under the conditions obtaining can be effected only at the expense of the existing junior high schools, and the already financially strained primary school system, which still provides for the lengthiest, most impressionable, and most import-1 ant period of school life." says the statement published in "National Edu-1 cation." "Any further reorganisation of the system should commence with the establishment of satisfactory conditions in the early stages of learning. . . . The primary school system is in a state ol confusion due to the exclusion of the five-year-olds. Many re-, duclions in grades and sub-grades of | schools must inevitably follow, the adjustment of teaching power to positions will be extremely difficult, and the introduction of the intermediate school organisation in some localities, but not in others, will assuredly add to the confusion." "Time Unseasonable." In claiming that the time is unseasonable for the introduction of the system, the institute states that any reorganisation ot' a system ought to be established on a secure foundation and maintained under the most favourable conditions. "A system sorely handicapped at the outset is likely to begin in disfavour and to continue to be unpopular m the community for a long time to come. Owing to the straitened finances of the country it is impossible to place these schools at the commencement on such a sure foundation as to make it practicable for them to function to their fullest possible extent." Three-year Plan. Referring to what the institute describes as the abrogation of the ori-1 ginal three-year plan, the statement adds that the substitution of a twoyear for a three-year course is not in the best interests of the children nor in accord with accepted educational policy ir. England and other leading educational countries, and is inconsistent with the policy formerly advanced bj the Education Department, and approved by the New Zealand Educational Institute. In general a three years' course is necessary to uncover the interests, aptitudes, and capacities of pupils and to start each upon studies leading to a suitable goal. Several authorities are quoted in the statement in support of this latter contention. Of the Atmore report it is stated: "The report, which arose out of a very careful and exhaustive investigation, is compelling in its advocacy of this type of school. The report emphasises the fact that this school is highly appraised by officers of the department and other leading authorities. . . The opinion is current that the Kowhai school will be concerted from an established success as an exploratory school to an institution dominated by the narrow and rigid requirements of the proficiency examination.

Effect on Staffing. "From a careful examination of the staffs and salaries schedules relative lo the effect of these regulations on teachers at present employed i.i junior high schools or junior high school departments, generalisations have been formulation as follows: (a) Thirtythree of the 51 assistants will be affected; (b) about one-third of the assistants (all women) stand to Rain up to £2O, but probably inany of thorn wculd be ready for promotion in any case; the majority stand to lose, some of them up to £OS per annum; <c) seven men will lose their positions and be replaced by women. "The minister has stated that teachers should be treated as the members of the public service are treated. In the public service no status or grade is lost even if suitable positions are not available. In the service the position or status is paid, not the man. In fairness the salaries '>f the present occupants of positions whether engaged in primary or junior high school work should not be reduced, as a result of these regulations, so long as they retain these positions." That the intermediate system oahnot be a success because of diTi- ultios of administration and lhat the system would not make for the continuity of (he whole system, and would not give Ihe opportunities for the unification of the teaching system which is desired, are other reasons emphasised.