"SPECIALISTS" CRITICISED.

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

"SPECIALISTS" CRITICISED.

EXPERTS AT THE EDUCATION' COMMISSION. The evidence of "specialists" at tho ro» cent Education Commission was iho subject of some comment by Mr. Clement Watson, the retiring president of tho local branch ol (lie Teachers' institute, at Iho Annual meeting last evening. "To judgo from the remarks of some of. these gentlemen, one would almost imngiiio that our schools, wero harmful institutions," said ■Mr. Watson. Tho proposed system of medical inspection of seliools, he went on to. say, might ) :Qa goo ,[ thing, or it might bo useless, and it devolved.' upon themselves as teachers (o consider '►£ \vlu t way the system might bo of some i eat value, (he inspections wero thorough Iv done, what wa to happen afk.nvard. S r ]f t.lm reports of tho dodors v-cro to bo pigeon-holed, (5m svstcm would bo a shew waste of public inonev. Again, san Mr. Wnlvou, Dr. Truby King had s:,,d something iron, which -t «as to bo rnfcrral that the health of .Iho school children was being ruined by overpressure. He was quite sure there such t liniß in their public schools. (Applause.) flwro might, of course bo ex. amp c.s hero and there of school buildings which wero not what they wight to bo, and in tips irogard it was their function ns an institute to exert their influence in tlio direction of improving mailers. Then they.had had tho evidence of exports on physical training, Mid, according to that. '■ it would appear tliot this subject was either nejljeleil o.r imperfectly understood by the teachers. This was nil stuff and nonsense. These experts might think that they, knew more than the teachers did, but it was his opinion (hot tun teaoliws knew more about the ,61111)001 than most of their orilics.