DOMINION’S EDUCATION—SYSTEM

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 189, 12 May 1928, Page 15

DOMINION’S EDUCATION—SYSTEM

AIMS OF NEW SYLLABUS EXPLAINED BY DIRECTOR

GREATER RESPONSIBILITIES FOR TEACHERS

Explaining the general principles and aims of the proposed new primary schools syllabus to the delegates at the annual meeting yesterday of the New Zealand Educational Institute, the DirectorGeneral of Education (Mr. T. B. Strong) pointed out that the royal road to success in teaching, under the new scheme, was the development of the individuality of the child. Teachers would be allowed the greatest freedom and latitude, for freedom was the essential to development of character.

The proposed new syllabus, said Mr. Strong, was not simply the product of the brains of the Department. It was the product of a committee which had consisted of education authorities, teachers, the Educational Institute, and outside interests. In addition, the inspectors had gone into the matter, and if it was uot right now, it ought to be. The Department was still open to receive constructive criticism of Die syllabus, which had not yet become law. He reminded them, however, that the •opportunity of suggesting alterations should be availed of as soon as possible, although he did not anticipate that any material alterations would be made. “We might go on altering the syllabus indefinitely,” said Mr. Strong, "but eventually someone has to take the responsibility of reducing it to its final form. That lias been my job so far. I don't take credit for what the syllabus contains. I take the blame for what it does not contain.” (Laughter.)

Development of Character the Chief

The committee had endeavoured through the whole syllabus to make recommendations that would enable teachers more fully to stimulate in the pupils desirable emotional attitudes both of an appreciative and active kind, and had aimed In general to develop a curriculum and a system which up to the age of 1-1 would offer to all the same educational opportunities. The development of character in its broadest and highest sense was aimed at. The matter was entirely in the hands of the teacher, who would be allowed to develop according to his own ideas and according to the way life ought to be developed in the pupils under his charge.

“This freedom, I hope,” said Mr. Strong, “will be wisely exercised by tenefhers, who will be given the greatest latitude, subject, of course, to the approval'of the inspector. After all, it is the duty of an inspector to see that the pupils are given a fair deal and that they receive the best education the country can give them.” “We must guard against the progress of the pupils being hindered by diversity in the curriculum. Something has been said about the syllabus being possibly too practical in character and that possibly the cultural side may not. have been emphasised sufficiently. The development of character in its various forms can best receive stimulus and inspiration from those matters in which the child comes into close contact. “Too often instruction in the past has been bookish in character and divorced from the real interest of the child and life of the community. Real Aim of the Syllabus. “The aim of the new syllabus is to use the material with which the child is familiar, and with that object in view certain studies have been introduced earlier than previously. The syllabus is practical in respect to arithmetic, in that it emphasises not so much the importance of teaching business arithmetic, but the importance of making the instruction as real as possible. This freedom wo talk about —I am not quoting (laughter)—this freedom we hold out to “you. It will enable you to devote more time to practical instruction, so that school education shall not be divorced from the real situations in life, but shall be closely related to them, and in many instances an expression of them. In the case of science, for example, not only shall the material in. the school be made use of but also the industries outside.”

The Cultural Side.

On the cultural side, continued the Director-General, the syllabus was richer in content than any of its predecessors. English would be studied more broadly and with greater freedom than ever previously. He hoped the time of slavish teaching of grammar had gone for I 'ever. The study of English literature would be emphasised as it had been in modern text books for a number of years past. On the physical side, the

syllabus aimed at the all-round development of the child. “.More and more,” he said, are we tending towards specialisation in education. Specialisation is not merely a matter for the secondary or post-prim-ary school. It is a matter for the primarv school as well.” Dealing with the relations between primary and post-primary schools. Mr. Strong said Jie was not the last to be inclined to imitate any system. But, he was also not the last to ignore what had been done in other countries. The Department had done a duty in endeavouring to secure as full and complete a knowledge as possbile of the problems overseas and a knowledge oi how they were being solved. With regard to‘the junior high school movement —as it had been popularly called—there was no opposition in the minds of the Department or of the Government. , . . He believed that there was a good deal to be said for an extended post-primary course of education. There was a good deal in the assertion of the minority report that already a very large proportion of the pupils was receiving that benefit. Notwithstanding that fact they would like all to have the benefit of a secondary education.

Importance of Post-Primary Course.

He would like parents to be encouraged to keep their children in a post-prim-ary school as long as possible. The Minister had approved of the suggestion that as the opportunity arose and as funds were available, new types of schools should be established in larger numbers than at present. Although it was recommended that the primary course of instruction be completed between the ages of 11 and 12, that was, at the completion of Standard IV, there would be no forced sending of pupils at a certain age. Personally, he had not very much faith in the argument that at a certain age, pupils should go to some other uistitution. But. at the same time, he realised the was not desirable that pupils sh ’ : .e retarded in a class which was not . table to the state of development jhat they had reached. Introduction of New Subjects.

Mr. Strong said he hoped that a very substantial improvement would be possible this year in remodelling old-fashion-ed schools and in reducing the size of classes. In the last seven years the increase in the number of post-primary pupils was 7 per cent. Accommodation had to be provided for those children, consequently a large sum of money had been spent on secondary schools. He did not think the Department was extravagant in introducing secondary subjects at an earlier stage than at present and in suggesting to teachers that the introduction might be made into primary schools as they existed at present. Accelerating Progress. Quoting figures to show that in recent years there had been a higher standard of academic attainment on the part of primary school teachers, Mr. Strong said he did not think they need be at all alarmed at the prospect of the commencement of subjects that had hitherto been studied only in the post-primary schools. He believed the existing staffs were quite capable of doing all that was required of them. There was, however, the obvious danger o£ enriching any curriculum—the danger of overloading—which pointed still further to the necessity for freedom. There was no desire that the syllabus should bo overloaded. Until the new primary schools had been established the desire was to accelerate the progress of pupils through the classes, so that they would leave school earlier than at present. It was recommended that as pupils reached the age of twelve they should transfer automatically to the secondary school, where a new environment and a wider scope would give them an opportunity to develop their gifts. The establishment of Standard VII was provided in order that pupils who had passed Standard VI might be encouraged to continue their education while waiting for employment. \lt was hoped that by that means there would not be a break in a pupil's school career. The abolition of the proficiency certificates and the substitution for them of primary school certificates, awarded on the crediting system, put added responsibilities upon teachers, but he had every confidence iii them.