POST-PRIMARY PUPILS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28984, 27 August 1959, Page 9

POST-PRIMARY PUPILS

“Weeding Out Of Incapable”

"The Press" Special Service WELLINGTON, August 26. “Post-primary pupils can be classified into at least two main groups, those who are able and willing to learn, those who are incapable of further learning and those who although capable are disinterested and make little or no effort to improve their education,” said Mr O. Conibear in his presidential address to the New Zealand Secondary School Boards’ Association conference.

“It has been repeatedly said that many pupils in the latter group are disrupting the work of the school and, in particular, the efforts of the able and willing pupils,” he said. The particular group unfortunately represented too high a percentage of the post-primary roll, many of whom were, in his opinion, the victims of social promotion, said Mr Conibear. Further Division “These problem pupils, that is the second group, can be further divided into two groups, those who have not yet reached 15, and those who have reached school leaving age. “The crisis we are experiencing in teacher supply demands that we use the available teachers to the best advantage. If we cannot step up the supply of qualified post-primary teachers to meet the demand, and we know that cannot be achieved for some years to come, then is there not justification for an investigation, that is, the weeding out of the incapable and unwilling pupils? How best can this be done? Let up hope an investigation as suggested would find the solution. In the interests of the school and the pupils, let not this problem remain unsolved for want of courage." “Every adolescent is or should be, an asset to the community. Some adolescents can become assets of greater value by starting on a career with a limited education, rather than wasting their time, and that of others, by remaining at school for no purpose whatever,” said Mr Conibear.