NOTES ON EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 167, 8 April 1908, Page 11

NOTES ON EDUCATION

(BY S6CP.AXI;3.) ' ,

' THE DECALOCUE IN SCHOOLS. . ./'.iK-'lastV'Wecik.'s notes, thoro; appeared an Brticie on'the subject of "The Decalogue in Sohcsols," ''wherein: it' was -stated .that; tho Wellfngton Education Board had passed ■ a - . t-o the 'effect* that .."Teachers ;. in' . charge of. schools in this district: be in- ,, , ; atruoled exhibit on. the - walls of. ;• their, ' schools the copies of. the -Decaloguo, etc."; .'V TheVitterition' or the, writer has been .drawn in the. resolution as passed ./ ,by vth.e. 'Board,i teachers-'.were .''requested,' 1 , •' .exhibit ■ tho copier, hi quastio::;.' . ' : ' V'X>Tberp.: is," in: aS logical v.serise, a subtle dis-: . .tihctidn to. be, draivn, from the^-..interpretation .'•cf : these;two wordsj-'biit-this distihtciou caiir not; be said to l exist ivhere employer and employee are-concerned. Both terms aro raanaitorj .-when..usbd' by an . employer. ; A | builder may wish to indicate to ■jus workman; 'i : vtha-t ! (i : c'crtain thing is to bi in- a particular;- way: Whether the builder expresses •'... 1 his;, desire j.in terms .of a "request'' ,or,: -..in',, -.tormi Of." an ."instruction" makes no differ-' er.eo to the obligation- of -the -workman. -■ It ; , must; or good and '''.'•^^ must; be giyen for'its non r fulfilment The Education Board is m a precisely/similar position.. It has expressed • a ;'!roquc3t" that ;a certain thing sh'all. be' ■ ■ dohe by-its teachers. : Js, it prepared tu in-' ■■ <v sist '.ui>ou this "request'' being- complied With"/\or ; ia;,it prepared'to.lea\c; tiie; seitlo- : . .. Vment'of -the matter t-o .its teachers,' who, ,in'. •turn, will bo faced with. tli'p "prospect of nr-: , ' ranging for,, a,settlement; of-,opinion between . thetnsejvfis'jahd 'their.: oommittees?■ _ It: is to. ■ bßVjl&red.?'that!»tbe situation .'remains^as 'it with the ;a:lded : . circumstance that. re-• .;: ports ' from ji certain - country; district; indicate ; - Eighs'of Iniriiihent trouble.; J'-;-EDUCATION At .STATISTICS, v, , ;; of "statistics- relating to'('public !;. '.oduiation in England -and; M'ales .during the • ;y««s! : l|K)si6-7-/bas-been issued by .the; British B,oard.':'bfvEduoatiop. -itbo rcturn : shows that onvAugusfc'l, 1906, tlnjro'were 20,807 public >»'•' elementary .;schools ,in : 'Englaiid and Avalcj, : of 7,063,61-1. > i Ot ( -.thes6 723G •wore Council' schools,. giving accommodation for .",543,760 children, and ;. ,13i671:'.rShintaryV wbofikj .; with , accoiiimoda- : ■....; .;•■ of teachers engaged in ; ' r .thes.erpublie; elomentary .schoois.on'-that-date •i was >174',07f1/ of irh0m.v.84,2| r 4.-1 if ere- certifi- . : number, of scholars '; v'.on^hevregisters, 'during the -year was over ; : ' six'millions.; : : •, . • ■- : The average.salary,of the 13,642 tr.ale head: -. '.tcachers "iilvAugu'st .1006 (was.' £163,' but thero ;0ver...500 ~male;''! ; •' with Baldrics of . over £300. per annum.- v The ; average -.salary of ,;tho /17,617.; female; head .- teachers/jK>as £-112 there being only 16 with Balaxies, fof;AoV><7i-*'£3oo.^^ : ; : M'.)Tlie;- ayfefago' salary ;. '. : 0f..th0;J5;498 certificated ;''fnalo assistant3j.wi!3 £116; but _more;than .2000, of ;theso, : were ''Hit ''aw_e'ipb'f*6f^iMlari^; , >'-' ,'Th'e" '. .' .M-erfi^o^-salary ;;oL;;the;;:;36,?'B7;. ; ..Mr^^ was.;i£B4y of.'r.wh'om.'-billy' ■; inqfe ''than);£loo. : . ';The' : iiumlier ; . of.'-:trairiihg : colleges for iteachers?on; August' 1, ; -72, with fa : ; aggregate'qf over. 80Q0; students.:',, Tho total J^Teceiptsy'qf.'.the'.training'"'colleges' 1 and. the .' hostels connected' with , them' tor - the vear ended. July 31, >1906, was .'£478,633, including £322,503. in the shape of grants from ... tho Board of,/ Education; ~ £80,896 from re- , fees,; and, ; £12,437 from : : feo3: of.'' private ': students,other - receipts totalling £65,547. ' I i EDUCATION IN CERMANY. .'.'At 1 ; a;.meeting, of;.the,'..Eastern' Branch- of, .: the .Scottish'iSsiociation. ofj.tJecondary Teach- . ,;ersiin('Jt-üßlic''Schools hbld'at Edinburgh ie- ; . ■ 1 cantly,. an address on "Higher Education .; 'by .ucuncillor, lieish- :•: ii;aff,V ; who i recontiy. visited 'a'"nuiubef'''6J:eau-' , casional.centres m Germany.a ' ;:. schools :;" whiqh are. the; cqnntctiug 'hnli between- the primary' schools" on the .-:onb''haiitl. and tae • Uuiyersities' and ;otber.advanced'.educational, v. " inscitu tio/is on tho otiler. lii.Gerinaii euu- . cation;'TOhieu; and gu-is did'; not count, thero ' being;scarcely,'any women.teachers' au all■ iii ,"..., tiio iGoruicn schools.'. That, cert-ainiy held good in ,what/.were -.vimown .: as , ttio . higher ■ ~ schools, and it held ."eockl'-als-i-'in tho ele-'ni6ntary;sohobls,;';r.-Tiio statistics'almost m- . va:fiabiy dealt; with boys' schools, lit inclicatMo' tu.o w.orlc of., tho higher schools .ill"Ger- ; .; 'itiwas: noted' that'there: had- been : a : ; ; gradual ,evolution.'from 'the classical-to .tho ' Wbdetn':side of .education. ' There was tho oldty.tight.v,between, the: ancient. and the .. could, : easily see that it wao '■ the iiiodern that was winning.' ' DISCOURAGEMENT OP FREE THOUGHT ' U regard ■to'/roligious -iiist'ruction : in'the ' Germ^h.;.schbols, i .;the conscientious objtctora •• - were not' ericuuraged, 'tolerated. They . : must have a religion, even if tao. teacher had to.hnd one tor tuem. .v,lt,a 'teacher was suspected ot having Socialistic opinions, or of tiavuig some .doubts .as. to the .existenco of God, • ■ ,-thatvwas practically fatal, with his superiors, - and .it,-was stated that . if. a: man. \ms sus:pacted;°f .being or haviiig:beeh'a Socialist,'or .^was , a>.J(^;i;.ho;:gcneraUy;\ , the ; otato.exaniinatioh. ; ,Th'e:teachers.,w'crq ther6-oareful-.in,, discussing' .th'c'so . .quostiqSs.- '.•';U.'h6,peculiar' ract -was that, when such,tremendousistresa'was laid oivreligioua , teaching, in; tho. schools, .tho'spread bf:;wiiat-''"ysbfc-'-.be;s'prined:;4%nostic• 'cr; other!.opinions' was,,veiy v great.in .Ucrmany: -In Benin, 'for was stated that only two per ;. . ; . °«nt. of the .populatioir-;vet:t to church. THE TEACHERS' TRAINING Tho defect of German e<!ucation in the ordinary [classical schools had been that tho . - "is.parents,,'liad to dccido when'he ;W^'"°:yeal 's of. age. as to tho "occupation-. - y lie was going to follow. !: The l<'rahktor^scheme,-. however, : postponed ;tbo decidiu^ three.years,,'atkl that scheme had :tiiumphed.;,vv..The usual preparation of tho , teaohfir;. in' Germany - included nin-o or 'ten years jat sohoql, then f6ur ; years in the Uni- '-: ver f'v?! .^ no , ? ca , r w a 'seminary,: one,year as ' .-. and one year, in'the Army. :As a matter of fact, the tesche'r very often twenty; yoars'in preparation be- 1 -lore he earned a penny. .'Moreover,' ho had an average, about five years for an.appomtment so tlat the average age of M^tho° r c!t t ° h8 ,,? 0t i n appointment under the State was thirty-five vears. I r ' 25S .fe lo . P®sß. tho &tat<j examination. - i •••