NOTES ON EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 95, 15 January 1908, Page 4

NOTES ON EDUCATION

ELEMENTARY 'EDUCATION IN i SCOTLAND. ! - AT? INTERESTING DISCUSSION In a rccent issue of the "Scotsman"'there, appears, a ..report of the proceedings of tho Edinburgh School Board,, tho major part, of, is taken; up. by an. interesting. discus- : sion on tho .question of alleged inefficiencyin schools, raised by Mrl-. Leishman, a ./mem-' ber of tho Board.; Tho discussion, is tlie' more interesting in that.'it forms-tho. text of an illuminating article in the editorial.dolumns,of. the "Scotsman' 1 , a few daysiater.. .■ Mr. Leishmaii referred to acertiiin .'return submitted to tho Board,' showing the number of pupils who left school on attaining tho ago of .1-1 without having' passed tho: qualifying examination. The total niimbor during session 1906-07 shown to be 1088, compared with lOSi'3,in the provious.'session. i .:. : Ho wished to call'attention, to tho,state of affairs revealed by the report. The broad fact iromajrjecl that after, an increase of school ago to 14 with, a compulsory school life of nino •years, in theory, for, all. tho chiklrcn,. in the elementary spools, wjtli a record of work of. providing schools, with very ' highly-paid' staffs, with comparatively small classes, and with an unstinted supply of money, tho net result was that . Something'like almost onetlijrd of tho children who left school at tho age of 14 were almost two j'oars behind what they ought to be-.- 'This qualifying examination was a very mild affair. • There 'was notlliilg drastic about it; Tho. return eh'owed' an; exceedingly unsatisfactory statoof; niat T tor's. ' In examining- tho work of the' evening schools ho-had been thoroughly satisfied that; a largo proportion 'of tho children wore leaving tho schools iii a stato of education which they ought not to bo in, considering tho advantages' which they enjoyed, he'had spoken'to l business, meii on tho subject, and their testimony, was ■ that tlip average boy, -wlion/ ho ;.left school,, could not, spell,; that his arithmetic l was .tery .woak, that his.general 'intelligence.' was nothing liiw:what it ought tobb; : and'; that'alkround thcro-was an exceedingly un-r. satisfactory state of matters. Ho did.not.saythat this state of-affairs was confined-to the Edinburgh; School-Board,- or oven, to' elementary schools. v . ; -: ' V .The School Board depended .upon',tho reports by '• tho Government inspectors. -Thcso reports- wero written-'in tho most glowing terms: The'ro was,'however, no examination, and there was very littlo real inspection'. The inspector went-into thq school and looked, at what had been dono from the hooks, sampled ono or. two of tho pupils, as it'were, arid then: .wroto, his report; , The headmasters ought to, bo made to, realise their responsibility in this .matter. o . ;. '■ \ ■ An .animated; discussion follbwcdj • 'and. 'a motion waiy ultimately passed to. tho effect that, a oonferenco ho held ivith; the headmasters with 'reference to tho points l raised. •• i .Commenting oditorially on tho incident-, tho"Scotsman';', takes Mr. Leishman severely ■to taisk, and discusses, inter alia, tho. evils, 'of, tho. standard pass system-of classifying school'pupils. , "•.; "Ail; cruptivo element'in the Edinburgh School. Board," says tho writer,, "has been threatening to oxplodo the comfortablo assitranco • that tho . Board and tho Education Department have provided us,witlr a highlyimproved and: tolerably efficient ■; system of elcnientary education.: Headmasters and Go-, vornment Inspectors are, in' effect, accused ofbungling, if not oven of scanipingj their work, and tho v l)qpartment itself appears to; ■ ho indirectly involved in this startling'indictment. -Either Mr, Leishman is rash and wrong-headed, , and, has jumped to unwarranted conclusions from misinterpreted.data, or. tho result- of : nino - years of. education, under what is generally understood to bo somowhat 'high- pressure and according , .-to-. : ,.tho' most, approved modem methods,- is that a largo proportion of tho,scholars leavo school without having,at-, tainod oven « jiiodcratc...degree of cfTicitincy. llo'-snggcsts that. Edinburgh is-no: worse-than-other places, and thus .conveys tho unpleasant' impression ■ that- in Scotland generally thoro is ground for suspecting , : .that. primary.education* is a,. melancholy...failure.. -His, in-' ■fbrbiices scorn .to'bo.dniwn mainly from a to-. port on tho number of pupils who leavo school -at tho ago of 14-without"having passed tho' qualifying examination; but they arq also based partly- upon his' own' investigations among tho pujiils at continuation schools, and on tho opinions lip has gleaned from [business men regarding'.tho attainments-of hoys who como from school into their employment. ' , ' "That the result of Board School educa-, tion—perhaps,oven of Secondary and University education—leavo much to bol desired. ,is credible and even probable, if not, indeed, a matter of common, knowledge ; but it may ho' permissible to suggest that Mr. Leishman . exaggerates. Tho opinions of men of business -are not to bo contemned, hut they luu'o geuoraliy been to the effect that schools do not cducate boys properly for business pui suits. Their judgment would probably bo .no loss severe on tho attainments 'of.TJnrrcrsifcy graduates who might enter their offices. The deficiencies of the pupils at Continuation Classes aro rccognisod by ll.M.'s Inspectors, but wo do not observo that thov malto them a ground for' discrediting the 'day schools. Tho.v account for tho backwardness of many pupils by tho fact that a considerablo interval often separates their attendanco at tho day school from their joining a continuation school. But they nowhere suggest that the day schools aro condomncd by tho defects of the continuation school pupils. Is it not. the caso that tho best pupils at the day schools ore drafted in increasing numbers, especially in Edinburgh, to Higher Grade Departments, and that tho bulk of those who go to Continuation Classes, do not, .therefore, includo tho best products of the day schools? Is it quito fair to judge tho work of these schools from a residuum after tho best products havo been eliminated? "When full allowance has been made for possible exaggeration and misapprehension, it remains a regrettable fact that so many children leavo school without being able to obtain tho credentials of moderate efficiency in tho elements, of common scholarship. Out of 3400 pupils who left tho Edinburgh Board Schools during last session 1088 had failed to pass' the qualifying examination," which is conlined chiefly to reading, writing, and simplo .arithmetic, with a 'reasonable proficiency' in other class work. But EdiiW. burgh is certainly, in no. worso, condition than other parts of Scotland. In tho whole of the Western Division of Scotland last year, out of an average attendanco of 352,300 only 22,915 passed the qualifying examination; and only 3607 obtained tho llorit Certificate. Vet tho Inspector for - the Division notes with gratification that tho figures show mi increase over the preceding year.. It is poor consolation, however, to know that the West is no bettor than tho East. "Tho Edinburgh School Board doubtless acted, wisely in determining to prosecute inquiry into tho subject with tho help of .the headmasters. Wo do not assume that the resolution to have, a conference with the hoadmastcrs implies that, thcso arc to blame for tho inadequate results. Still loss are wo inclined to agree with-Mr. Leishman in attributing the fault to tho Inspectors. If he means, as lie almost seems to do, that thcso officials do their work carelessly, ho docs a serious injustice to a highly meritorious class of public servants who havo very responsible duties to perform.. If lie intends to condemn tlio present system of inspection and suggest that ,it. is less efficient than. tho discredited method of individual examination by a mechanical routine of standards, ho has the judgment of all tho best educational authorities against him, including tbat of tho Education Department. "Instead of visiting a school once a year, on a day notified beforehand, and hurriedly , subjecting each individual pupil to a standard examination and then, tabulating the results, tho Inspector now pays several unannounced visits, which enable him to see tho ordinary working condition of tho school, and give him ample opportunity to observe, not merely how the scholars can do routine examinations, but how the school is organised and disciplined, how tho work of teaching is conducted, and what aro tho broad educational results. Under the old system it was impossible for the Inspector to form an adequate judgment regarding tho normal Work and condition of a school. Ono is surprised to learn that there arc teachers who agree with Mr. Leishtnau and hanker t lul oVI, SVC.'taitv

; One not ..hears' from ..head-' masters,': says one Inspector, 'that pupils: aro' .passing through tho schools'without, 1 as-a' whole, i cceivuig that thorough'.grounding in the elementary subjectslwliich -tho. strict in--dividual, oxamiiiatioii. Codes 'involved .■ ,i /The true • .remedy,' says ; another Inspector, lies notm reverting td.individual examination,- but- in V maghifyiiig: -'the- power' andVre'spoiisibilitVi of -the ■hfcadniaster; : i:-ivho is the..;; proper, examiner of : the , individual ■ pupi's ' , ■' "These comnionts seem to; admit—they do not at any rate l deny—ihafc the instruction of,individual scholars is.lcss.thbroughlv' attended to under the present system of inspection' than it used, to be. It further appears .that- teachcrs are inclined to blaine the systenv and the Inspectors to blame the teachers. The impoitance iof tlio- Question ;can -■ hardly - be.J ovcr-estimited.'-'-The ' first' point for: inquiry, is'whether it "isi true'-that' there has .been a. falling off. m.the attainments, of: individual pupils.l'i If ,'wc ; are. .not" mistaken, the reports of,the. Inspectors point to an improvement iA,the general condition of the schools, and it is hard to believe that if a sonool is improved as a .wholo the "individual pupil sufTers.. But if it bo the case that the schools aro falling back into tho old condition, in -which the blighter, pupils wero ; •veil taught and< rho backward neglected, it uoes not .follow-: ;that j either 1 the .; Inspectors of, iiispcctioii-is» to blame. 1 ' / Ih« correct viewmny be tliat tho fault w l l^1 '. t i he. ■ -*. The ineljiod of.-inspection undoubtedly throws a ,higheri responsibility' .on tho: t-cachers: ! '- The Tnspcctoi looks .to general and broad'results; and trusts' the ;teacbers" to' give conscientious eare, to;mdiyiduals. This should bo; n matter of conscience and honour. It 'would be ■ ground;-:fbr regret H and; misgiving 'wore;"it proved that :tho Education' Department, in reforming the systerq of inspection, f had erred' iinvTCposmg . too' 'much ' trust' ..in - the : hoad•masters. .pf l ourschools': /.The i responsibility ■ ,cast; upoiv. thoin' .may 1 ,bo .."onerpus;. but' it is; ."Oil ah ilhteasonahloi exaction. -Tho .Depart-* rnciit■„ has 'treated them, with confidence. Have they proved themselves unworthy?;.' ;Theproof is'not; fully coliyihcing'.- If; it' amounts-' to a presumption, which justifies inquiry,- no' moro can be said of it at tho stage: There . are, other < ; ways of "accounting"; for the failure.'of many jjupils to pass, the-qualifying examination/.than by assuming, either .that:, tlio system'of education is a failure or that the' teachers, neglect- tlioir • duty, l " Tho report to the Edinburgh - Board! suggests: that'. it may, bo.due to such causes as 'natural'dull-'nessV'-,irregularity ■; of ; attendance. ;dno to, illhealth or . parental neglect, : lato. age in coming to school,/ or change of school.'' ,The. further question is raised-whother"a;mistake' may. not 'have, .beenmade -by.'Parliament in decreeing!.' the - 'compulsory. ' : attendance/ of', children of all; conditions: arid capacities 'up to the age of fourteen; If so -large a proportion of them, after;reaching the! highest ordinary standard,! am incapable (of.', passing, the very ' simple, 1 , ' qualifying; examination \ pre T- , scribed 'by ;tlie. Department, is there not' a they might bb; more'piolitably employed' in working with'their, hinds, and; ■ developing in industrial.";.' occupations faculties not . utilised at,,school ; Whatever, the;troth may.be, nothing but good can como from invdsti^a'tion, hot misdircetcd.. by , l,re-* conceived' theories ;or, .biassed - by proinftture conclusions." . ' v-■■'- ■■■■:-:■ •■ • - -'"-''-'i