SCHOOL SYLLABUS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 185, 30 April 1908, Page 4

SCHOOL SYLLABUS.

- IS "IT OVERLOADED? . I SOME CRITICISMS - ■ (bI TELEd'RArn;—SPECIAL COKRKSrONDENT.) ■ Auck'and, Apnl 28 In moving a resolution at last night's ~in§^ing-;;(>ffi c ity< " -lipfi^old^ , 8, urging a bet-^ of. syllabus;, : ; Mr.■ the; City--■9^o i^iew 4 '' attention ■' t'o : - tho iVitwieldiuegs'Saiid vftgtigi'ess 'i',characterisingithp. instruction. said , had' declared' •that hadj,;b;een. issuoa.-on* trial, 1 : bufc;-th6ugß..it /Lad more than enough of a trial it still renjampd-iunchanged. Unwieldy and cumber&rnoVds'it was, some persons had been endeavouring, to,' add to it 50m0,, -advocatedi'ithe. ieaclimg •of religion" Pth?i'.s : "of the evils .of intern- I ptranco,"' others-" agniii' thd 1 . necessity' of modi-' cal, inspection, : and such like. Trieso good well-intQHdpd s pcpplo. scemecl- blind to the obvious/|act'' tlfiitstlio' tokcKfcrs found it '.'more-! hours a'week at their disposal, to cope with tho present unwieldy syllabus:*''During'the past year tho Expenditure:;; on, jeducaitioji "was very great • ■ too,great,;he,.sya ?( ,afraid,, for tho country's resources., it jnow amounted to ,£-1. per head pci annum-of' our -population—men, women, and children, European and Native. The dissatisfactioir'amoiVg''tlic "teachers throughput the Dominion' continued rife owing°io the lack-of' aiiy %'stem jof appointment or promotion," and. one.'of the consequences resulting, .therefrom .was' tiie paucity of nialo , teacher; in, ,thp. .spvyico : and -.the 'decreasing .number of. j;oung.;meu- entering the'teaching profession. . -Tho disastrous effect of such a state of things upoirthe pause of education, he ,«added, was a. matter of gravo public concern, and our Educaition •- Department which was of the very gieatest iniportance' having ap: its concern 6he future' 'destiny' of tho nsuig geiierationl. should wake un rom its lethargy of/over 30 years; It ■ must bp plain to nil thn.tr tlio Koonor our diflicul'ties were 'faced; When this was wo, might :havo,evolved an institution capable ,of , discharging its great functions becoming a capablo guidb. and director; instead of, as it was -now- -.ajeumborsome • machine oxpendiiiii a °IA okb >" v \ Mcomplishing compara-' .uvelyijittle..; (Applause.)! ~ v Dr: .Walk?r, ( sccond(3d tho motion. Ho said Ul9, present ,?yllabM. wa ? "cramming" tho children. It ( would talco ;a man's or a woman's" . brain','to' absorb all they wanted to get into' r th6'' , hCadS"-6f poor littlo children \\ hat was wanted was a modification to' cive -the childreiva,good grounding, so,that they 'might oJi'"tb the secondary schools with '•!.Achousoholder<(MriiG.; Masson),. in supporting-, the, motion,., said- ho had seen his own.clnl dreiuSll.. dow,n.and cry because they could "liofc do thcji- lessons, 'riiey wcro expected to do too much altogether". Dr. Hardio Neil said thai those who wanted to bring about reforms in the direction of teaching- certain principles should take tho children when they were at homo. He con'sidorod. tho they were at pJcqtSuiL.'ejipugh'. j,Tlio,,chairman., (Mr. -Tudohope).. said tho syllabus"impesed 'too 'much work' 011 both teachers and school children. Boys who passed' through tho schools somo years' ago, when-wo had a< loss extensive syllabus, wcro frequently hotter .• grounded than the boyt) and girls of to-day. He- tnn had room, his ov,n children go to 1 bed, with-tears in their cyos bocauso they could riot perform their tasks. The motion was passed unanimously.