NOTES ON EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 478, 10 April 1909, Page 14

NOTES ON EDUCATION.

(By Soobates.) EDUCATION IN WELLINGTON. THE SYLLABUS AND ITS CRITICS. Iho progress and condition of education in tho Wellington district is admirably reviewed by tho Education Board's inspectors, Messrs. T. 11. Fleming, M.A., LL.B., F. H. Bakewell, M.A., and J. S. Tcnnant, M.A., in their annual report, presented to tho board recently. Tho exigencies of space havo previously precluded any reference in detail to the subject matter of the report, which contains so many features of interest as to ' justify the reproduction of at least tho most salient of them in these notes, The Education syllabus. During the year under review, the Education Syllabus was subjected to a good deal of criticism. It will be remembered, from what appeared on tho subject in.the columns of The Dominion from time to time, that tho criticism referred to was of a comprehensive and representative kind. It is interesting, therefore, to note the remarks of the Wellington Board's inspectors on this question: "We think it only proper," they say, "that our report should contain some expression of opinion on a matter that has already been referred to us for that purposo by tho board. The public school syllabus lias lately been subjected to a certain amount of adverse, not to say hostile, public criticism, much of which, in our opinion, is not only without justification, but is really due to misapprehension on tho part of the critics themselves, of the matter and method of the syllabus. A reference to our previous reports, and to portions even of this, will clearly show that we ourselves: by no means consider the syllabus incapable of improvement. No one, indeed, pretends that it is perfect in every detail, but, as ah effort to grapple with the complex educational problems of the day, and as an endeavour to keep our educational system abreast of modern ideals and requirements, it is unquestionably the ablest production that the Dominion has as yet proved itself capable of. ' "Much of this so-called failure of the syllabus is due to faulty interpretation, and therein perhaps lies its apparent weakness. It may bo remombered that on its first appearance we ventured the opinion that to a certain extent it was before its that its full force and value would not be appreciated, nor would justice be done to its real spirit and intention, until there should be such improvement in the training of our teachers, and in the staffing, accommodation and general equipment of our schools as would enable the provisions of the syllabus to receive really competent administration. In other words: "Its nature is subdued , To what it works in, like the dyer's hand." Nor in regard to administration do we think it necessary to restrict the application of tho quotation to teachers alone. We speak, of course, entirely for ourselves. Teaching of English. The chief grievance would appear to be the absence from the syllabus of proper provision for tho teaching of what, for a better term, may be called formal grammar. We are told that there is a general complaint from tho secondary teachers that the "grammatical ignorance," as someone calls it, of the primary pupil, is a serious obstacle'to his progress m the secondary school. There are secondary teachers who go. so far, indeed, as to say that it is- impossible to teach the boy from the primary school Latin, owing to his ignorance of English grammar. We do not for one minute question the right of anyone to be the best judge of his own limitations, but it cannot be sajd that the proficiency in languages (more especially in tho mother tongue) of the average youth from the secondary schools of tho Dominion has time been of so conspicuous a nature as would, in our.opinion, justify the-sub-ordination of the whole system of teaching English in the primary schools to the requirements of tho particular methods obtaining in secondary schools. We can quite understand the boy from the primary school proving an unsatisfactory subject for the application of a method which we have heard aptly described as "the apotheosis of the Latin Grammar," but that is not to say that he would bo equally a failure nnder a more rational and intelligent Bystem of instruction. The syllabus very properly concerns itself with grammar, not as an aid to the analytical study of language, Latin or any other, nor as a "means of providing exercises in logic," but only so far as it may be considered an aid to the correct speaking and; writing of English., The directions with regard to this are explicit enough—" technical grammatical terras are to be used very sparingly indeed, and no grammer is to be introduced into the course of public instruction except for the practical purpose of training the child in the correct and ready use of the mother tongue." Tho amount of grammar which may bo considered necessary to achieve tho above result is left (as wo read the regulations) to the discretion of inspectors and teachers, and in this.district we have not hesitated to accept any reasonablo scheme of work in English, oven though it may have included more of formal grammar than the test cards in composition issued by the Department would indicate as being necessary. We are perfectly conscious of tho defects in the written and spoken English of our schools. It is the subject with which we are able to express least satisfaction; but we -are also prepared to maintain that it is bettor now than it was at any time during the last twenty-five years under tho old syllabus, when the teaching of English was simply paved with grammar. Faults of the Past. "Tho fault in the past has been the attempt to separate English composition from English literature —to treat it as an isolated subject that could bo taught simultaneously, like a rule in arithmetic, to a whole class. But composition cannot bo viewed from a single standpoint; least of all is it a matter of this or that rule of etymology or syntax. It is the expression of the child's mind —tho sum total, not merely of his knowledge of the mother tongue, but of the ideas, the-train-ing, tho experience, of everything in fact that goes to make up his character and educational content. It is, therefore, a subject requiring from the teacher far higher literary sense and ability than mere proficiency in grammar would indicate, and • especially is it a subject in which the child demands on his part, individual attention. and treatment, and one of the great obstacles to this treatment is tho largo and unwieldy classes in so many of our public schools. How is it possiblo for a teacher to individualise in a forty-five minute lesson with a class of sixty children? It is in theso huge classes that tho English lesson, with its monotonous round of parrot-like simultaneoas readings, and its interminable lists «f spellings, wearies and disgusts tho pupil, ana destroys in him any taste that he may have had for a literaturo which, so far as our public schools are concorned, provides the main foundation on which moral character can be built. We havo dealt rather at length with this subject, because, for üb, composition means the whole study of English, and of whatever is. good in English literaturo, and wo do not think it possible to over-estimate the value to both tho child and tho adult, of tho one really humanist subject in tho syllabus, for it must bo remombered that tho education of the great mass of our children ceases with tho primary school, and in after life how aro they to avoid what is evil in literature, or how are they to gain access to the ideas and teachings of tho great minds of our race, if during their brief school career the first steps of the way havo not been shown them ? This is truly an ago of marvellous scientific and industrial development, but, whatever, success in commercial and industrial efficiency our educational system may achieve, it surely fails in its most vital function unless this.vory ofiioiencv is controlled and oven dominated by mora) ideals and aspirations." (To bo continued.)