TEACHING OF HISTORY
AND A CONSCIENCE CLAUSE ’ The Council of Education on Thursday decided to recommend the repeal of a provision in the Education Act, 1914, which saya that “no child shall be compelled to be present at the teaching of history should the parents or guardians object thereto ” It had been •stated in the course of the proceedings that a few parents had taken advantage of this provision on various grounds. Mr. J. It. Kirk (Gisborne) said that the proviso was a very old one, and > it appeared to have been overlooked in the amendment of the Act. It was contradictory, since history was a compulsory subject in the school syllabus, and he thought it quite unnecessary. Mr. It. McCallum, M.P.. said he 'believed the proviso would hive been cut out in 1914 if attention had been drawn to it in Parliament. _ The Director of Education (Mr. J. Caughley) agreed that it ought to be withdrawn. It did not serve any useful purpose, and as long as it remained in the Act it would be used by some contrary people. He did not think anybody really wanted the exemption, but there were always some people prepared to take advantage of opportunities of making trouble. History as taught in the State schools was not a subject that needed a conscience A motion recommending the repeal of the clause was carried without dissent. -r '
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Bibliographic details
Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 233, 28 June 1922, Page 7
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233TEACHING OF HISTORY Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 233, 28 June 1922, Page 7
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