Rural Education Survey Sought

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31071, 28 May 1966, Page 18

Rural Education Survey Sought

A thorough, combined and open investigation and consultation of rural education in Canterbury was proposed by the regional chairman of the Canterbury Post-primary Teachers’ Association (Mr R. P. G. Parr) at the associations regional conference which began in Christchurch last night. The Education Department, the Education Board, the New Zealand Educational Institute and the New Zealand Post-primary Teachers’ Association should undertake and Contribute to the investigation, he said. ' Even though it was said . that Canterbury compared favourably with other parts of New Zealand in rural educaion many serious problems still remained. Because no one section of the educational community could hope to solve the problem alone he suggested the combined investigation. In the development of school and class curricula new syllabuses were written so that there was much overlapping of the traditional boundaries at the end of standard 4 and form II so that it was utterly imperative that the teachers concerned be-

came familiar with the subjects, methods and gaols beyond their own immediate teaching range. At present courses were held to develop a fuller understanding among teachers of curricula and syllabuses beyond their .own immediate teaching range but they involved only a minority of teachers.

Mr Parr suggested that subject seminars should be arranged and for such seminars to be effective thej had to be strictly local and all teachers in the locality had to be involved.

In teacher education there had been in operation for several years courses designed to put syllabus changes before teachers, some being run for either both secondary and primary teachers or for one section.

“But there is a lack of understanding of the other fellow’s point of view and this has been brought about mainly by sheer ignorance,” he said.

Another method of mutual learning for teachers was a scheme of visits by teachers among schools, not only between a secondary school and its contributing schools but also between the secondary schools and the university. Such a scheme should not be difficult to arrange and

provided teachers of all ranges were able to take part then it would enable much to be done in pointing out what others were attempting to achieve.

In teacher training the ordinary teacher had much to offer and it had been shown that though many were involved in training, many [teachers felt more could be ! done.

[ Though there existed a place at national level for teachers to contribute to teacher training such an opportunity did not exist at the local level.

Both the regional and national associations had a policy In respect of the move of the teachers’ college to Ham and that was for the separation of the secondary and primary teacher training institutions.

Mr Parr urgently suggested that the region’s representatives should be given an opportunity of meeting the board, the New Zealand Educational Institute and the department so that the region’s views could be put forward “This project is not just another building, it is of the utmost importance to the profession and therefore we ask for some direct and local voice in the planning of the new college,” he said.