THE COST OF EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1509, 3 August 1912, Page 3

THE COST OF EDUCATION.

Sir,—Liko many other people, I have waited for some person other than teachers and officials to give evidence before tho Education Commission as to the expensive and useless character of a great deal of the present syllabus. Instead of children being taught to read, write, spell, and add decently, their firuo is taken up in woodwork, naturo studies, etc., with the result that they leave school with a very little knowledge of a great many subjects, and> without being thoroughly grounded in any one item. The Commission has taken a vast amount of evidence of faddists and others, but the crux of the whole position is tho necessity for reducing tho subjects of tho present syllabus, and of seeing that the essentials are thoroughly taught. The country is about tired of Mr. Hogben airing his views.day after day Wore tho Commission, and I trust that the newMinister for Education will put his foot down, and restrict some of the appalling expenditure in this Department. 1 desire also to emphasise once more the desirability of uniform school books. At present parents are put to great expense by want of uniformity in different districts, and by the ever-changing fads of someone in the Department who prescribes a new book on each subject about once a year. I may add that your articles alluding.to the evidence before the Commission are widely appreciated, and trust that you will pursue. the matter further.—l am, etc., A LONG-SUFFERING PARENT. July 30, 1912.