FOUR ADVANCES

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 220, 13 June 1930, Page 8

FOUR ADVANCES

Our Education System

INTERESTING SIDE ISSUES 'Methods which the Department of Education had adopted in dealing with backward children were among the subjects touched on by the Director of Education (Mr. T. B. Strong) in an address delivered yesterday before the Council of Education. He took the opportunity of dealing with other developments which the department had fostered, including the provision it had made for physical education, and for teachers to specialise in certain subjects, as well as the successful correspondence school which was now working throughout the country. With regard to the teaching of backward children, New Zealand was in a good position compared with other countries, he said. Special classes had been established as soon as possible, but with only two organisers progress was necessarily slow. They had done well, however, with the system they had evolved, which involved co-operation between the Education Department and the Mental Hospitals Department. No attempt was made to teach low and high grade deficients in the same class or institution, and the Education Department had taken responsibility for the higher grade pupils who had a reasonable prospect of making their way in the community. It was a most difficult matter, he knew, and he felt that all teachers, all parents even, would recognise it. Some of the backward children, if set free, would be a social menace. Something had to be done with them, and it seemed that the country would have to have some sort of “occupation centres.” He had seen one of these in New South Wales. Two residential schools were for those who required to be educated away from home, while special classes provided for the others. Physical Instruction. A great advance had been made, continued Mr. Strong, in our system of physical instruction. It compared well with systems abroad. A specialist school had been established in connection with the Dunedin Training College, where 10 or 12 selected students were trained along advanced lines every year. They had a special instructor who was responsible for a new and better system. Mr. Strong had seen nothing like it in Australia. There was a stronger staff here, and physical training in New South Wales and Victoria seemed to be left in the hands of the Defence Department. ' Special Subjects. Every year, too, 40 young training college students were allowed to specialise in mathematics, drawing or singing. These three subjects seemed to be the ones which most demanded it. As far as he knew, no schools in New Zealand were organised on the /‘platoon system, where specialist teachers were used. It was really an application of secondary school methods to primary school grades. He had seen one of these schools in New South Wales and hnd been much impressed with it. The department had hoped that some New Zealand schools would take up the idea and was rather disappointed at the meagre response. Correspondence School. Coming next to the correspondence school. Mr. Strong said that it had been a universal success. At. present, more than 700 pupils were receiving primary instruction and about 150 secondary instruction. Not one of these could attend ordinary schools, and it relieved parents of the necessity of employing governesses. The secondary department hnd boon established a year ago. Hie school was producing results, too, as was shown bv the fact that its pupils showed a good standard in the proficiency examination. Through the large expanses of back country in Australia, the corresnondence schools there were larger and were rather more fully developed. Country schools were closed when their attendance fell to nine. Tn the 1 administration of the scheme, too. New Zealand might lenrn something from its neighbour. ‘