AGRICULTURE IN SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 215, 5 June 1919, Page 6

AGRICULTURE IN SCHOOLS

SCHEMES TO IMPROVE INSTRUCTION

A CONFERENCE OF EXPERTS

It is the intention of tho Education Department to improve, if possible, the teaching of the subject of asriculturo in the primary and the secondary schools. In order to obtain advice from thoso best qualified to give.it, a conference has been called in Wellington of representatives of education exports, with representatives from the scientific side of the Agricultural Department. This conference met in Wellington-yesterday, and it will continue in session for at least one more day. Following aro the members of tho conference:—Mr. W. J. Anderson, Director of Education (chairman); Mr. T. E. Cresswell. .Senior Inspeotor of [secondary Schools (deputy chairman); Mr. S. A. Clark, West Christchu.rch District High School (secretary); Mr. J. Caughley, Assistant Director of Education; Mr. W. S. La Trobe, Superintendent of Technical Education. Delogates:—From University of New Zealand: Professor T. H. Easterfield (Victoria College!, Professor C. Chilton (Canterbury College). Frora Agricultural Department: Dr. C. J. Renkes (Wellington), Messrs. A. H. Cockayne (Weraroa), B. C. Aston (Wellington). From Lincoln College j Mr. R. E. Alexander (Lincoln College)," Dr. F. jW. Hilgendorf (Lincoln Oollego). From Education Boards: Messr3. J. P. Kalaugher (Auckland), H. C. Johnson (Tarauaki), E. J. Loten (Hawke's Bay), 0. A. Banner (Wanganui), C. A. Cummin (Wellington), .Tas. Bruce (Nelson), W. Martin (Canterbure), B. S. Green (Otago), R. Gibb (Southland), and Messrs. T. B. Strong (Inspector. Wanganui), F. G. A. Stuckey (Inspector, Mnstorton), M. M'Leod (Inspector, Auckland), H.H. Allan (High School, Ashburton). Dr. Anderson informed the delegates first of the objects for which the conference had been convened, and tho principle guiding the Department in rlw allocation of representation. He mentioned that technical schools' representation was numerically weak, but this was rot bocause it was considered that tho work of technical schools was unimportant. The reason was that if representatives had been invited from the technical schools the conference would bavo been so large as to be unwieldy. Referring to the matters to come before the conference, Dr. Anderson said that the study of agriculture was of paramount importanco in this country, whioh depended for its prosperity on the products from the surface of tho soil. More than any manufacturing industries, agriculture wa3 important to New Zealand. Time wag when people came to New Zealand for cheap land. That time had long gone past. Nowadays good dairying land was purchased at ,£IOO an acre, land which but a fow years since would have bean bought at ilO'an acre. If a man was to make a success of farming such high-priced land, he musti use intensivo mothods, awl he must know very well his business.

But this conference was not assembled for the purpose of drafting a scheme of instruction for the training' of the farmer. The object of tho conference was to discuss the study of agriculture from the point of view of co-ordinating this study with the general cduoation offered in tho schools of the Dominion. It was not proposed that tho conferonco should consider vocational training in agriculture With 'the demands frequently made for special institutions for the training of agriculturists the conference would have no concern. Those institutions, and the .demand for them, were tho concern of people approaching the subject of agriculture from quite n different angle. It was said by some that agriculture could not be taught in ordinary schools, because tho sciontifio study of agriculture postulated a knowledge of the basic sciences. He admitted, of course, that agriculture was an applied science, but if the study of agriculture was to be postponed until a sufficient knowledge of basic sciences could be acquired by the pupil, there could be no instruction at all in agriculture in tho schools. His proposal, which was the proposal of agriculture teachers, was that agriculture, which was an art as well as a science, should bo taugH't in such fashion as to benefit tho boy who would not pursue the study of science. The object first must bo to supply the instructional needs of the ordinary boy, the boy who might have to make his living by agriculture. It was not tho need of.that boy to become a scientific export m' agriculture, although he would probably study scienco along with agriculture.

In order to introduce the subject to the delegates the arrangement was, that papers should be contributed by .members of the conference. FollowW was the programm'o of papers rend "--Mr" Kakugher, "Nature Study in Primary Schools ; Mr. Stuckey, "Factors of Sue-' cess or Failure in Primary Schools"; Mr. A. H. Cockayne, "The School Garden in Elementary Agriculture"; Mr F K. Callaghan. "Some Note.s on Methods and Aims of Teaching Agriculture in Primary and Secondary Schools"; Mr. o. A. Clark, "Agriculture as a Non-Voca-tional Subject"; Mr. H. H. Allan, "The delation of Agriculture to other Subjects"; Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf, "Examination Syllabuses in Agriculture"; Mr W Martin, "Training of Teachers in izviculture"; Mr. M M'Leod, "Agriculture and the University.

At the suggestion of the chairman it was agreed that all the papers should be read first, that then there shouldho general discussion of the papers, amh that nfterwards committees should be appointed to make proposals relating to different questions raised. On one or two points all the papers agreed. One on which they wero quite unanimous was that at nresent teachers in the schools were insufficiently prepared for giving instruction in agriculture. General!}' tho speakers discussed the subjeqt from the point of view of tho pro. fession of teaching, especially the point of view of teachers in schools where it it, not the aim to train scholars in the practice aiid theory of farming. Indeed, the suggestion was made that the namo "Agriculture" as applied to the instruction given was a misnomer, and suggested other names. The' conference will resume to-day.