PRIMARY SCHOOL ESSAYS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21148, 26 April 1934, Page 9

PRIMARY SCHOOL ESSAYS

♦ ! DANGER OF COMPETITION I ALCKI.ANf) HEADMASTERS SUIM'OUTED The action of the Auckland Headmasters' Association in requesting the; Auckland Education Board to discon-j tinue the holding cf essay competi- j tions in schools, reported from Auck- j land on Tuesday, reflects the altitude j or the Canterbury Headmasters' As- j sociation towards this question. Al-j though headmasters generally use j their own discretion in accepting or j refusing oilers of prizes for school ; essay competitions, it is the settled policy of the association to oppose essays calculated to exploit the schools for advertisement purposes or to introduce the element of competition among schools. I Mr L. F. dc Berry, president of the I Canterbury Headmasters' Association, said vesterday that the association did not seek to hamper the plans of individuality of any headmaster, but that objection was taken on general lines to the holding of essay competitions which were intended by thenpromoters to advertise some product, cr to the organisation of essays which might excite a spirit of competition among different schools. Several times during the last two or three vcars offers of essay prizes had been refused for these reasons. The association did not mind so much the holding of essay competitions which were judged in separate schools, but it considered that most external competition was harmful. Not True Test of Ability Mr W. C. Colee, headmaster of the Normal School, said that all essay competitions did not give a true Judication of a child's ability. The essays wore written in school under fair enough conditions, but if a child had been well primed at home with ideas and phrases he would do much better than a child who had received no assistance. In many cases the essays could not be called the children's own work. There had been a tremendous number of applications for essay competitions in Christchurch schools, but the headmasters' association was generally against them. The Navy League essay and the essay promoted by the Manufacturers' Association at the Winter Show were more or less regular, but thev were different in principle from most of the others—they were noncompetitive. The Returned Soldiers' Association used to run a competitive essay, but it had agreed not to continue with this type of essay in the future. Sonic Essays Useful Mr A. C. Maxwell, headmaster of i the Phillipstown School, considered that certain types of essay were a ! decided help in schools, and that they had a definite educational value. The Winter Show essay was a case in point. The children were encouraged to go to the exhibition and use their powers of perception and judgment. Headmasters, however, were generally opposed to essays which were based on competition among different schools. They did not mind the element of competition, provided it was confined to individual schools. In the Winter Show essay competition certificates were awarded to two ehili cren in each class. This was better I than a prize system, for two reasons—- [ more certificates could be awarded. I and there was greater encouragement i to the majority of the children. I Mr Maxwell said that the selection i of subjects for school essays was not ■ always wise. There was sometimes a tendency 1o set subjects which were i above the child, and which were too | abstract in nature. Moreover, headi masters did not want too many out- ! side bodies and associations trying to ! get into the schools. There was a : great danger from the advertising j type of essay, and headmasters had always to be on their guard against | these. Auckland Views The Auckland Headmasters' Associ- , ation. in requesting the Education • I-:oard to discontinue the holding of j essay competitions, said that its memj bers had expressed the view that i such competitions in public schools ; were wrong in principle, except perhaps in games. Judgment on the ess-iys could not be made with anything near mathematical accuracy, as a great deal depended on the taste and training of the judge. The Anzac Banner competition was a case in point. It was also known that pupils with retentive memories were quite capable of memorising essays prepared by someone else. There was a consensus of opinion that some, at least, of the essays submitted in competitions were really the work of older minds. It was felt that essay competitions did not make a constructive contribu-.

tion to the aims and methods of primary schools, and might very well be discontinued. The Education Board generally agreed with these views. The chairman said that, if any more applications were received for permission to conduct essay competitions, they could be dealt with on their merits.