“NO PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION”

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 189, 9 May 1934, Page 10

“NO PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION”

Technical Teachers’ Views “CHAOTIC CONDITION” IN NEW ZEALAND “We've got no philosophy of education; none whatever. Wb don't know what we're educating for. Wc teachers think that we are the leaders of the world. We think we lead New Zealand. But we don't lead New Zealand. We drag along after it. Our outlook is entirely behind the times.” These statements were made by Mr. L J Wild (Feilding) during the discussion of a remit at the annual conference of the Now Zealand Technical School Teachers’ Association in Wellington yesterday. Mr. Wild said that the conference could well spend the rest of its time discussing a question which had only been touched on—the philosophy of education. The fundamental problem the teachers were up against, he said, was the ignorance of this country about the meaning of education. ’ There had been a lot of talk about giving the people what they wanted. “We've got to give the children what they need, not what they want,” he said, “We are prepaiing people for work that is not theie. The good old days are not going to return. Good days may come, but not the good old days. We are passing into a new era altogether. The job of the school in the future will be to train people for leisure. We say that we are doing that now. but we are not.” The Leaving Certificate. The discussion bad been initiated by Mr. A. 11. McLintoch. who on behalf of the Timaru branch moved the adoption of the following remit:—"That this association expresses its appreciation of the Education Department’s action in providing for a school leaving certificate based on a wider selection of subjects than that of the University entrance examination, but to be of equal standard." hi opposing the remit, Mr. G. A. Thompson (Wanganui) said that there was no semblance of a unifying theory in the system. Once New Zealand bad been said to lend the world in some respects, one of which was in education. To-day she had one of the most hidebound educational systems in the world. England had found the leaving certificate unsatisfactory. “Mussolini has given the task of formulating an educational system to the foremost philosopher of Italy,” Mr. Thompson said. “So also the Americans can point to progress due to the policy of John Dewey, What can wc point to as unifying in the New Zealand system? It is educational chaos.” “Move in the Game.” , Miss M. G. Anderson (Auckland) said',it. was considered essential that every girl should learn something about dressmaking and cooking. If they were to be bound by the requirements of tills certificate they would have to cut out cooking and dressmaking. Mr. R. G. Ridling (Wellington) said he considered that the certificate was definitely a progressive movement from what, they had at the moment. None would deny the domination of the university in secondary education, and that it was difficult to persuade the university to take its hands off it at the moment. The director had. however, hoped for the time when the certificate would be accepted by the university. This was only a move in the game and should be regarded as such. Mr. Wild supported Mr. Thompson’s view, and hoped that the remit would be rejected. In opposing the remit. Mrs. R. C. Dickson (Greymoutli) said that she had had to fight to keep the work from being hampered by the examination incubus. When she came back from England four years ago she was staggered by the chaotic condition of education in New Zealand. She did not think that the powers that be had ever beard of a philosophy of education. She would dislike seeing children in technical schools hampered by the examination incubus, from which .they wore free at the moment. The remit was carried by 26 votes to IT.