SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 196, 16 May 1930, Page 11

SECONDARY SCHOOLS

CONFERENCE OF TEACHERS COMPULSORY SUBJECTS The Secondary Schools’ Association of New Zealand held its annual meeting at Firth House, Wellington College, yesterday. Air. W. A. Armour (principal of Wellington College) presided over a large attendance of delegates. A remit put forward by the Wellington Girls’ College to the effect that it was desirable that the vice-principal of the training college in each centre should be a woman was endorsed. The. conference passed a remit from the Auckland Girls’ Grammar School providing that at least two years’ notice be given, by the department in regard to any changes in examinations which affect secondary schools, and that principals of secondary schools be consulted before any regulations which affect their schools are gazetted. A remit from the Napier Boys’ High School was affirmed, providing that secondary schools up to grade . X offering three or more courses should be entitled to one extra D grade assistant. Compulsory Geography. Air. Marten Smith moved that geography should be a compulsory subject during the tenure of a junior free place. A Napier delegate, in seconding the motion, said it seemed to him that geography was a basic subject, and he could not understand why history should be made a compulsory subject and geography not. The geography which a pupil received up to standard VI was not sufficient. There was some opposition to the mo-' lion, several delegates remarking that fewer compulsory oubjeets were requiued and not more. Air. Armour said that geography was a fascinating and a broadening subject which called to its aid all the sciences. Alost people were more ignorant on the subject than they should be. Why, he asked, should history take precedence over geography? A chair of geography was very badly needed indeed in our university system. The remit was carried by 34 votes to 26. . The conference passed a resolution declaring that it was not in favour of the training college cxtrance examination. Election of Officers. The election of officers resulted as follows : President, Air. F. Alilner; vicepresident, Air. J. G. AlcKay; members of council, Misses Greig and K. V. Edgerley, Alessrs. W. A. Armour, H. P. Kidson, J. A. Colquhoun, C. R. Jones; auditor, Mr. J. E. Shaehan; secretary and treasurer. Air. F. Al. Renner. ;