LANGUAGES IN SCHOOLS

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25581, 24 August 1948, Page 2

LANGUAGES IN SCHOOLS

OTAGO COMMITTEE’S SURVEY x

“STATUS FALLING OFF” (P.A.) DUNEDIN, August 23. One-third of the post-primary schools in New Zealand—State and private —think too few pupils take one foreign language as a subject, and onehalf of the schools think too few students take two languages. Those are two conclusions reached after a fact-finding inquiry made by the Otago committee appointed a year ago by the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Association to conduct a national survey into what is happening to language teaching. A 17-page statistical and commentative report has now been issued by the New Zealand Association on whicn further action is to be taken in pointing to possible courses of action when the committee has forwarded its final recommendations. The teaching conditions for languages are good, says the report. In all but a few schools there is adequate opportunity to study one language, although the choice is mainly limited to French.

Far too many schools have abandoned the two-language course, adds the report. There had been a most disturbing decline since 1943 in the number of pupils taking the available two-language courses and in the number of schools providing such courses. The causes suggested include the relaxation of university requirements, a utilitarian approach resulting in the pursuit of qualification rather .than educatkm and the new school certificate regulations. 36,000 Pupils The education field covered included State post-primary schools, private secondary schools, and district high schools, with an aggregate roll of more than 36,000 pupils. Languages are interpreted as excluding English and Maori. French, Latin, and German, in that order of popularity, are the languages most commonly studied. About half a dozen pupils take Greek or Russian.

When Dr. B. H. Howard was asked by the Secondary Schools’ Association to form an investigating committee he selected as its members Dr. D. D. D. Raphael, professor of philosophy at the University of Otago, Dr. K. J. Shean, Otago Boys’ High School, Miss M. Dalzell, principal of St. Hilda’s Collegiate School, Miss M. Fitzgerald, principal of Otago Girls’ High School, and Mr P. W. Hargreaves, of Waitaki Boys’ High School. “There is general agreement that the status of language is falling,” comments the committee. “The same reasons appear in all the groups analysed. They are the demands of the ‘core’ and the change in examination requirements at all level®. These cause pupils and parents to favour soft options or specialised courses. Girls’ high schools and, to a lesser extent, girls’ private schools are satisfied with the position and actively encourage language teaching. Mixed high schools are relieved that the demand for languages is falling, chiefly on practical grounds.”