STATE EDUCATION REFORM.

Evening Post, Volume LXVI, Issue 152, 24 December 1903, Page 4

STATE EDUCATION REFORM.

Tho moAt encouraging sign of the times is tho growing iatorcst which is every* whero inaiiifw»t«d in education as tho prime condition of tho prosperity aud well-being ol tho State. Thla intereat lwus pawed beyond tho stage -of mere feeling, and has assumed tho form of practical insight into tho conditions essential to tho development of Iho brain-power of tho coming nation. Tho lnteet nnd tha moat practical demonstration of this enlightened appreciation of the plnco Mid function of cduaition as a factor in tho "orgn nimtion of tho democratic community is found in tho perusal of tho interim report presented by tho Coinmlssionera to tho New South Wules Vnrlluniont a few dny« ngo. In April, 1902, Messrs. G. H. Knibbs and J. W. Turner wcro appointed Connnißsloncrs to investigate and report upon tho bewt methods of bringing the fcitato eystom of education up to tluto. For this purpose thoy wore commissioned to visit the chief educational centres of the world. Thoy travelled extensively, visiting Qreut Britain, .Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Finlund, Austria, France, tho United States, and (Janadii. Their "interim report" covers ovor 600 pages and contains v most eXhaustlvo treatmeut of tho wholo mibject. Naturally it ban produced «i deep impression upon tho educational experts uf New South Walou, and hue confirmed tho conviction expressed by Professor Anderson, of tho University of Sydnej, in a lecture to teachcis delivered two years ago, that the system of education in that State is "not tho most perfect systom -in the world." On tho contrary, the Commissioners aro convinced thnt from every point of view tho New South Wales system of education i» obsole^, both as regawls machinery and methods. This is an unpleasant discovery and no doubt will be videly criticW

But in the face of the facts submitted no other conclusion is possible, thun "that tho citizens of this State have educational opportunities far shoifc of those in other parts of the world, and in the training of our teaching BtalTs there are defects the seriousness of which can hardly bo overstated." "We are so far behind America and the leading countries of Kuropo in (a) tho character of the education given, and in (b) a sufficient education and training of our teaching statfs that the improvement of education is uigeut." Mr. Knibbs points out that the fault lies in a sehemo of education to which tho State has boen long committed ; tho supposed excellence of this will be shown to bo quite mythical, and our demerits are the inevitablo consequence of an espousal of the pupil teacher system which tends to limit the horizon of the teachers educated under it. To reform tho whole system as it exists involves most radical changes, not only in tho machinery, but also in the spine and methods of education. The first point accentuated is tho securing of unity of development and co-ordination in the educational system of the State. This is to be effected by placing the whole administration of tho Department of Publio Instruction immediately under a Director of Education, who, subject to the Minister and Parliament, should be charged with tho entire direction of primary, secondary, and reformatory education, and the direction of the education of the abnormal. ,In the words or Mr. Knibbs : " The director, or chief administrator, should bo competent to direct the details of tho great reform movement indioated as necessary. The titlo Director of Education expieeses tho proper function of the permanent head of an educational department, on whose per-. Bonality rest the whole spirit of the new educational system." This is a wise recommendation. It is' utterly absurd to expect either unity of development or co-ordination in an edu< cational system u/iless there is an efficient head who is solely responsible fot tho whole administration. This necessarily involves centralisation. Tho In. speotors, who aro directly in touch with tho schools, and whose- personality and influence constitute the main factor in the administration of the schools as regards both machinery and method, can not logically secure the unity of the system unless they are in direct touch with the head or Director of Education. The second point on which emphasis Is laid by tho Commissioners is tho abolition of the pupil-teacher system. This is one of the weak points in tho State system ns it exists at present. They recommend that a large training! college for primary teachers should be established near to the University of Sydney to render nttendnhco at Uhivorsity lectures possible without loss of- time travelling. At this collogo the following subjects 'should be studiodi (a) The general history and theory of education ; (b) school hygiene, the hygiene of child life, and physical culture} (o) educational psychology, with special reference to the education of very young children ; (d) the technique of kindergarton j (c) music and drawing. In tho training colleges for primary teachers no distinction need be mado as regards sex. A small adjunct school for practice, similar to that in connection with Jena Seminary in Germany, should be attached to the training college. The pedagogical equipment of the principal training college at its practising school should be as perfect as possible-, constituting them a model college and model school respectively, so an to act educatlvely on tho teaohing staff passing through it. Tho period in a training col logo should be at first two years, to bs extended later to three years. Three of the ablest of the yWnger teachers of the department, who have had a university education, and who have qualified themselves linguistically, or will undertake to do so in a reasonable time, should be sent for twelve months lo study and report upon tho methods of training teachora at Jena, in Germany, nt Rusnacht, near Zurich, in Switzerland, and at the Ecolo Nonnales, in Paris, under suitable guarantees of subsequent service. The services of such • teachers should be Afterwards utilised in prQmotlng the better professional education and training of teachers. Summing up, the chief recommendntions of the Coinmlmioners are— (l) Tho placing o f tho whole administration of the Depart* incut of Public Instruction under a Dlrcc* lor of Education, who shall control the whole system ; (2) tho establishment of training colleges for the training of all teachers for both kindergarten and primary schools ; (3) the abolishing of tho pupilteachers, which would neoessarily follow from the establishment of t'ho training colleges! (4) the reorganising of . school architecture so n« to provide lot separate classes not exceeding fifty or sixty puplli etch | and (5) the establishing of better methods of teaching so that instruction shall dho mean education. _ We shall consider this second main division in a later j<<si<e, when we shall enquire how far theso recommendations are applicable to our own system of education.

Tho half-million loan has not been snapped up by investors, but it has been more than covered, and within the colony. The result is more' satisfactory than at one time seemed probable, and we, heartily congratulate the Government and 1 the country on the result. With so many colonial Governments marketing local loans and local bodiev with heavy commitments making ceady to borrow at attractive rates, the Treasurer may well plume himself on the fact that his loan has been oversubscribed. • And we most sincerely hope that the time is Hear when local loans lor State requirements will be the rule, and not the exception. It ■will be a rod-letter day for New Zealand when nho has emancipated .herself from dependence on the British moneylender. It is alleged in some quarters that local State borrowing means the diversion of needed capital for expansion of trade- development. The deposits in the Banks and the volume of trade, as shown by a constantly increasing revonue through the Customs, go to show that there is ample capital in the country for all legitimate trade purposes. Local loans, such aa that which was brought to a successful issue yesterday, will certainly not stimulate over-speculation or inflation of values, but the diversion of this half million to tho Treasury will not restrict trade. Cheap money is not an unmixed blearing, It sometimes spells "boom," and later " burst." When, & few weeks ago, we drew attention to the grave risks run by Mr. Buckeridgo and others in undertaking !l6ng oversea »voyages in. diminutive vessels, wo little thought our words of warning would have received such swift I'ustifioatiou. The Marine Department, It appears, refused to allow the Kia. Orato sail without a certificated officer in charge, but apparently took no steps to enforce its veto, ana Mr. Buckeridge, having induced a son of Captain Sowden to join him, sailed from Gisborno on the 25bh of last month. A good run was made to the Chathams, but soon afterwards young Sowden was struck on the head by the boom, and while he was incapacitated Mr. Buckeridge, who w^is working the boat single-handed in a galo, fell from aloft and sustained injuries from whioh he died about twentyfour hours later. That young Sowden should have succeeded in working his way back to Gisborno must be rogarded as little short of a miracle. All the fresh food on board had turned bad, forcing him to live entirely on biscuits, honey, and lim© ; uioe ; he had no sleep, and had U^tle reeallection of «aob day* events.

On reaching port ho was in, a- very exhausted state.

Everybody will lament Mr. Buckeridge's untimely death, yet few people, however they may sympathise with the spirit that prompted his enterprise, will fail to condemn it as rash and foolhardy. On first leaving Auckland the Kia Ora stranded, and on being got off had to return for repairs; ana when, in spite of t'ho prohibition, she started on her voyage, her etdck of fresh .food was exhausted in about a forl night. Had the two men kept free from accident or illness, they Would have had to face the perils of tho sea for months, without the guarantee afforded by examination that they could aafely navigate their course. If Mr. Sowden had met his death instead of his companion, the surviy or would doubtless have had to answer for tho event to the law. Probably there is no power to compel a man to stay On shore if he persists in going to sea in a cockle-boat, any more than to prevent a man crossing Niagara on a tightrope or perform hare-brained trapeze or other dangerouß exploits ; but if a man chooses t6 commit suicide he should not be allowed to involve others in his fate. The enquiry may result in the Collectors of Customs being armed with tome power to prevent such hazardous experiments as that of Mr. Buckeridgo in the unlikely event of his finding imitators. . * Two defeated candidates for municipal distinction in Newtown lust evening tried very hard to discredit the Council over the Kent-terrace culvert incident. Somo fifty ratepayers were present, and Mr. Baylis at some length did his best to stimulate, his hearerß to indignation —it was an " indignation" meeting —at the manner in which the tramway works are being carried out.' He said " that the work done in regard to the tramway did not reflect much credit upon anybody connected with the Council." We hold a quite opposite opinion to Mr Baylis for reasons that we need not ndw set out, particularly as the Mayof, in an interview, which we sought this morning, published in another column, has effectively disposed of all the statements which Mr. Baylis employed last oven ing to rouse tho " indignation" of tho ratepayers of Newtown.