AN EXPLANATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 440, 24 February 1909, Page 9

AN EXPLANATION.

Sir, —I trust you will give mo:; space in your paper to'borrect the misleading report of : my statements, at the Hawke's,Bay. Education \ Board •: meeting on Monday, lastj; which.appeared in. your issue of llth:instant: In speaking to a motion "re ag?s>of children in lower classes," I said nothing about "cruel lack of attention," but spoke of the .crowded condition of. the room,occupied '•■■by-; the "preparatory" classes, and then con-, trastea the state of this room with the other _ I.: further pointed . out. that, this. increaso' in the preparatory, classes is a,' growing . evil complained' of. by. the Minister for ' Education in his report , for 1007. 'He there-says: "The.proportion of pupils : in the preparatory, classes, which/has for years past, been showing ■ a gradual increase,/ shows a still further increase for the year' • from. 29.36,. to 31.11." : _ 1,. tlien quoted; from, . the tables-in that .report showing that , whilst in 1901 ■ the. proportion of children .in. the ; pre-, paratory'' classes was 26.7,' .it, had grown; to be,31.1 in 1907, and. that in Hawke s-Bay it; had reached 34.4. I pointed out that while, the. numbers in the preparatory classes in our public, scihools wero;'jnoroasing, -'those, in .the; upper, standards lyero .decreasing,' and in support'/of; iny" statement'quoted ; 8.7 " por cent. - as the' proportion of'/the school • represented by the, sixth standard,, and iiliat. this proportion in. Hasvke's Bay. schools,, ' had fallen';to: 6.6. per cent./ Referring: to" ages,; I quoted fropi the same tables; 9 years 7 iiionths; ns . the average age "for children in the first' 1 standardj ana 13 years 9 months as. jibhe averago forsixth' standard pup.ils;' which' shows. clearly that only, .those •; children t who get through the first standard at, about 8 years.of ago continue at school,till'they pass iho sixth standard. From these tables it.inay also be/ seen that ' children/.begin; .to.leave school,'between 12 .and ,13 years of'age. '- If they/are nearly 10 years old when they are in the first' standard, what,room is there in their school life to give them a decent edu.'cationp ..I pointed out', that the pace .in the .preparatory, classes, must; be very slow".for 'a child ; to, require'. l over, .four, years; .to reach, the first standard, ' arid that this/slow pace was apt to 'bo,[carried into the upper'standards, and that this, repressive method .is impairing'the* usefulness of . our' education system'and .'depriving" the generality of the children^of- a ' fair education;; Apologising for' trespasshlg so far on your space.—l am,; etc., A. GRANT. . Dannovirko, February 12, I'JOO. | Through' an; oversigut. publication: of this letter .has been delayed.] /; ;■; _/.. v ;f