The Education Report WARNING AGAINST LARGER SCHOOLS

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29901, 15 August 1962, Page 14

The Education Report WARNING AGAINST LARGER SCHOOLS

[Specially 'written for "The Press" by

MALCOLM LEADBETTER M.A.]

HU

; The Education Commission ‘recommends a wide expansion of the intermediate (school system, attached to [post-primary schools or independent. Additionally, "post-primary work should be commenced' in Form I.” If the intermediate system is [to be adopted, there must obviously be a far better coverage of the whole counjtry than at present. Apart from staffing difficulties, earlier attempts at doing secon-

dary work in intermediate schools broke down because [of the “mixed intake" m post-primary schools at thirdform level. Southland Boys’ High School, for example (drew its entrants from an intermediate school covering .'half the city, from the ordinary city primary schools, [and from a ring of country schools. I have never been Iso convinced of the value of [the separate intermediate as [the commission apparently is. [Any attempt to compare the products of various types of scnools brought me time after I time to the standards of work done by individual teachers. Some advantages can be seen [in the Form 1-6 type of [school, much depending on j the size. | Comment on the chapter ;on administration must per- [ force be brief. It may be that (the beautiful diagram on page 103 of the report is the best [answer. If it is really neces[sary to set up, in each of 10 different districts, a dis'trict education council, a district education office, a district secondary schools j beard, a district primary [schools board, with existing secondary boards and school j committees, this should, I i think, be no more than longterm policy. All this would [involve the scrapping iof the recently-established branch offices of the Department in Auckland and Christchurch. To me it seems more (logical gradually to extend the decentralisation—to Welllington, as planned, and possibly, soon, to Dunedin. ;Gradual evolution and improvement are often to be [preferred to sudden and extensive change. The explosion [of school population has resulted in a fragmentation and dissipation of the department itself to 17 different corners in the Wellington landscape. This khould be remedied as soon as possible. Certificate Standards Some general points and unanswered questions. What will be the effect 'of starting post-primary work in Form 1 on standards generally, on work done up to Standard 4. [on School Certificate, tor [example? Have we gone too far with the value of award granted with Higher School Certificate at Upper Sixth level? Should standards be safeguarded by making it harder to earn? Only incidental comment is made by the [commission on the difficulty which the department faces in maintaining the stanidard of pass in School Certificate. Over-simplified, it >can be said that 50 per cent, of pupils pass. Increasing [numbers of third-year pupils sit, many of them outrageous 'optimists. Obviously, if two [additional candidates sit (<pos■sibly hopeless cases) there 'will be an additional pass .somewhere. (Moral for (candidates: persuade your inferiors to sit.) Only incidental comment is made on the difficulties faced by girls’ schools in secondary centres. What is their future? Arc lady principals soon to become extinct? On inspectors I should observe that my own experience suggests the relationship between secondary teachers and inspectors is very different from that between their primary counterparts. Is it that in the postprimary sphere there has for some time been an increasing emohas’.s on the advisory and in-servfce training (aspect—inspectors serving as | a medium for “idea [ exchange"'’ Certainly this [function must be of increasing importance. i On two points 1 find myself in ''omolete disagree;ment with the commission. .The first is the suggestion .whereby puoils m’lht be permitted to sit the School Certificate examination in one or more subjects. This savours of consolation prizes. Schools generally are opposed Ito the idea of a pimil’s hav-

ing in his course a bare minimum of examination subjects. Yet it is comm n experience that where a bey has in his course five subjects, four being named for the examination, the fifth is regarded as a "spare” and attention given to it by the boy may be negligible I hestitate to think what the cumulative effect of the commission’s recommendation would be on the standard and effectiveness of work in the lower fifth forms. Tiierc must surely be a better way of recvgnistng what a bey has achieved. Pupils as Individuals The second is on the size of schools. To me. one of the most regrettable developments associated with the rapid growth of the secondary school population has been tlie trend towards larger and larger schools. To read “that planned development of some secondary schools of large size (1500-1600 > be undertaken in selected larger centres . ." frankly gives me the horrors. To me one of the real satisfactions arising from teaching has beer, the feeling of having personally known the pupils as j - dividuals. It was with real regret that I found, quite late in my career, that as a headmaster I could not do regular classroom teaching It is strange to see a recommendation “that >n schools over 1000 pupils the first assistant be freed from classroom teaching." Shed a tear for the past, when headmaster* knew their pupils and made on them some impact other than a physical one In such large schools there may be streamlined courses and something approaching organisational perfection. Apart from the fact that large numbers have ■ habit of breeding large difficulties, something has gone, and to me such educations) monstrosities have no appeal Yet on the whole I find little to quarrel with in th? report. On general grounds it struck me as being perhaps a little too down to earth and matter-of-fact. Perhaps ths is part of our own New Zealand make-up. I could have wished for some of the rich thought and Arc philosophy contained in other report* which I have read. On the other hand, thia is something which can be easily read by Mr Everyman—if he baa the time! Two things mentioned more than once are worth repeating: first, the overriding importance of the teacher in any education system; second, “the Government and people of New Zealand must finally decide how much of the national income they are prepared to devote to education. ’ Most of the lines of investment recommended by the commission should produce handsome returns. (Concluded.)