EDUCATION COSTS

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 266, 6 August 1931, Page 5

EDUCATION COSTS

Present System Defended

CORRESPONDENT’S VIEWS

“During recent months there has been so much adverse criticism levelled at the education system —particularly, in relation to its cost —that it becomes necessary lor the other side of the account to be brought into view,” writes Mr. H. A. Parkinson, secretary of the New Zealand Education Institute who says that the institute had instructed him to ask for space in which to put beiore readers of “The Dominion” some comment on a leading article in the issue ol August 1.

“Some other aspects of the question are put by Scieutia Potestas Est,” whose letter is also published below. “The article under consideration described- the system as an extremely expensive one,” writes Mr. Parkinson. “But is it so? lakmg figures published in thedast report ol tile Minister, the total number of pupils under the care of the department—from the university, down through primary, secondary, technical, training colleges, special schools for feeble-mind-ed, deaf and blind—the total number ol State pupils is 2Gs,b'fB. The total expenditure (including buildings, £535,821) is given as £1,058,222, which is equal to £l5/11/4 per head, or, if cost of buildings, £2/0/4 a head, be omitted, £l3/11/- a head. This sum is very nearly the amount paid in London with all its advantages of large schools and consequent economy of working. When it is remembered that in New Zealand most of the pupils are in small schools where the expense is necessarily greater, it will be seen that considering _ the nature and value of the service, it. is not so expensive as its critics proclaim. When critics declare the system is expensive they use general terms, and rarely venture to come to grips with particulars. When they are asked where they will begin to make savings, they are silent. The plain fact is that any “cut” of an amount that is worth making, beyond administrative economies, must fall on the small country schools, which are the only really expensive part of the'system. But-who would deprive the country children of their one opportunity in life, and thus add to the hardship of life in the backblocks. Future Prospects. “But apart altogether from the hardships of the backblocks—is it right or fair or reasonable that the present depression should be -made the occasion for an assault on the future prospects of the young of both town and country. Their 1 education is their birthright—for most of them ’it is the only birthright they possess. Shall they who are now in their school days be crippled for the rest of their lives because of the slump? On previous occasions the institute has protested, with happy results, against this same proposal to make the children in-their future lives pay the penalty of a present depression. Depressions come and go. If the one we are now enduring passes away soon, all hope it will, no one will be any the worse, for it except the future citizens; who will have been deprived of their chance to benefit by revived prosperity. If the depression continues there will be the greater need for the highest and best training that can be given if the nation is to face with success a continued restriction of earning and spending. In any case young people for whom no employment has been provided are better in school than on the street.

“The section of the article that deals with free secondary and university education ignores the progress .of the times. The social system of this Dominion is based on democracy, and its continued growth and prosperity depend absolutely on the social and industrial qualities of its people—not of a few chosen ones who shall sit in high places and rule the others, but of the whole body who have to share the responsibility of the-gov-ernment of the country. Mention was recently made of the “flood of ability” that education will set free for the service of the community—and it will need all the ability that can be discovered to weather the difficult times ahead. To restrict technical and; secondary education to those who can afford to pay for it is to dam back the flood of ability and to prepare the way for a retrogression from democracy to feudalism—not the military aristocratic feudalism of the past, but a plutocratic feudalism controlled by the ruthless methods of modern business. Universal education—the liberating of human powers—is the one and only protection against that.

“To the concluding* paragraph of tjie article the .fullest support can be given,” concludes Mr. Parkinson. “Nearly every fault that can be detected in the working of the present system has its origin in its divided character and in the bureaucratic method that has crept into its administration. No social service touches the life of the people at. so many points and in such intimate way as the education system. In none is there such need for access of ideas from outside. In other services this means of access is provided by a national board. There is a Railway Board, a Board of Agriculture, a Board of Health—but no National Board of Education. There are some fifty odd minor bodies lending an ineffective and useless existence in their several localities, but they have no effective powers, and they are divided against one another and are comp’Mely nt the mercy of the denartment. Whaf is wanted is a National Education Board to direct the whole system, with single united administrative, bodies with adequate powers in each locality. This would bring about considerable economy and a great increase in efficiency.”

Drink and Gambling.

"Are your advocates of less education looking at the matte'r of costs from a purely national point of view?” says “Seientia Potestns Est” "Do they realise that for every hundred pounds spent on attempting to dispel the narrow, provincial, mediocre vision of the average New Zealander by the fundamentally good system of State education, four hundred is spent on drink and racing, excluding liquor manufactured in New Zealand? Surely it is in the interests of the nation in every wav to reduce the expenditure on drink and gambling.-and increase the expenditure on education, and if we have a statesman’ with enough courage to do it. all honour to him. “Perhaps the following extract from,the June 23 issue of the ‘New Zealand News,” which circulates among New, Zealanders resident in the British Isles, will illustrate what is meant by saying that we are not vet sufficiently educated to cope successfully with the most intricate problems which our democracy will have to face in the near future. The extract is headed ‘Comedy and Economy.’, and reads: — “ 'Drastic measures such as those now in force in New Zealand are no joking matter. but we may be pardoned for drawing attention t none aspect of the “economy” campaign which would be laughable if it were not rather important. We have already referred to the reduction in the small amount voted for Government publicity in this country. Two thousand pounds were actually being expended in the effort to market the many millions of pounds of produce which New Zealand sends to Britain. This extravagance naturally had to be stopped—so the amount was halved. Having accomplished this stroke, somebody had a bright | idea and the Minister of Labour was ' able to announce that “the Government was prepared to do all it could to relieve the unemployment problem,” and was therefore willing to expend a certain amount of money to encourage the sale of New Zealand-made goods in New Zealand. Presumably this “certain amount” will not be less than the thousand pounds “saved” in Britain. The money which was being used in a campaign against foreign competition in the valuable British market is therefore switched over to help in the grim fight to convert New Zealanders to the use of their own products. The manoeuvre may be justified, but we should not like to attemnt the task.’ , . “There is one point I wish to criticise in your leader, sir. You maintain that 4

‘the gramophone mind finds the examination system created by mass education an easy way to distinction.” The examination system was not created by mass education. Few st“' 1 -nts who have come through a gruelling university course with its demands for continual self-denial and strict regulation of intellectual fare, will admit the epithet. ‘easy/ Further, the construing of a difficult piece of Latin translation or the working of an involved application of the Calculus at high pressure in tfie extremely uncongenial atmosphere of an examination room, where “bluff” counts for nothing, or worse, is no mean test of- the calibre of a man or woman. The intelligent judge of university graduates knows that it is possible for some types of minds to go through some types of courses without anv very exacting training, and is consequently aware that there may be successes and failures among educated people just as there are among uneducated. But I, think any of your readers will admit that the balance is in favour of the educated.

“I should like to add, sir,” concludes the correspondent, “that on a previous occasion an issue of your paper in which you maintained that New Zealanders were over-educated contained no fewer than three bad mistakes in spelling,”