Mammoth task for committee

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33887, 5 July 1975, Page 17

Mammoth task for committee

f Frorn

OLIVER RIDDELL,

U effingron reporter of "The Press")

WELLINGTON. A mammoth task faced the Committee on Secondary Education, its chairman (Sir I erence McCombs) told the committee’s inaugural meeting’ in Wellington.

Outlining some of the questions the committee would have to consider, he said there was public concern that pupils in secondary schools got the best education possible. even though the extent of such concern was hard to measure. The committee will report back to the Government on March 3!. 1976. and has been given as its terms of reference “to consider the progress of the secondary education review: desirable developments in secondary education: and wavs of ensuring close co-oneration between schools, parents, and community. "The terms of reference are so wide and flexible that you can do almost what you want.” said the Minister of Education (Mr Amos). The committee's work would largely determine the curriculum of New Zealand's secondary schools, and would also ha.e a maior impact on the primary and tertiary sectors of education. “There are manv people in New Zealand who wonder whether the curriculum really satisfies the needs of those involved in secondary education, and this will he one of your maior tasks.” Mr Amos said. AIMS OF EDUCATION “The responsibilities of the home and the school for the social and physical Welfare o f schools is not clear.” said Sir Terence McCombs, '“he committee would become aware of both the uncertainty and the importance of the aims of education. What subjects should punils take, what should thev have to take, and what options should be open to them, bearing m mind that the taking of one suhiect frequently precluded the taking of another? he said New Zealand had a verv big education budget, vet there was dissatisfaction about what the schools were doing, their administration their buildings and "'hat type they should b v . the size of schools and classrooms, how thev were staffed. and whether their staffin' l pattern was permanent What shou'd be the objectives of schools’’ Should thev teach morals, ethics, and human relations; and if ” was not the responsibility of schools to ’each these, whose job was it? The committee would have to investigate the c'fricula of schools, whether the De-

partment of Education should be setting a basic pattern for all schools, whether the' schools should do this themselves, and how to cope with the mobility of teachers and, pupils between schools and different basic patterns. “Is teacher training adequate, and should the training include training in' administration, which takesl up so much time?” Sir Ter- 1 ence said. Other points he touched on were the role of schools in academic and vocational guidance. discipline in schools, the relationship of parents with schools, the , role of examinations and proficiency certificates, the impact of the news media on children (particularly television). how schools could develop better public relations, pupil involvement in the running of schools, what

• resources schools should have, what support they ' needed from the Department of Education, and how much research into New Zealand .education should be undertaken. THORNY PROBLEM Sir Terence saw one of the thorniest problems facing | the committee as being to i discover what the community ■ thought of the schools, and how this was to be tested. The committee comprises 20 persons, of whom six are ; women, and its inaugural meeting will last for two days. The meeting is being held in committee, but it will involve general discussion of the terms of reference, the study of various documents, and the setting up of mechanism for the committee to ; undertake its work.